So my wife has been trying to get help with soc. sec. and medicare. She has tried multiple times to log into her online accounts . For some reason the "system" recognizes all of her info, takes her through all sorts of steps and rig-a-marol , and at the last step it says that it doesn't recognize the info that she just gave them and that they have been using all along!! We have tried talking to soc sec on line, on the phone, and apparently no one can help us. We even tried to set up an appointment to see someone in person, at our closest office. Good luck with that. They make you go through all sorts of questions and then determine that you do not need an appointment ! We "walked in " to the office this morning and sat for hours waiting to be helped. Meanwhile most of the folks who were helped were obviously illegal's or deadbeats. We could not get anyone to help us ! I am completely disgusted , and have lost all hope for America. We have worked hard our whole lives. Followed "the rules" And thought that we would be able to get help in our old age. What a fucked up system we live in. I thought the DMV was bad ! I wish I knew who to talk to to get help with this. Apparently every non American has someone advocating for them, helping them maneuver through this bureaucracy. But us multi generational white folks can suck it. Who advocates for us? ** UPDATE** : THANK GOD ! After waiting , online, for a video call from an ID Me rep, For 3.5 hours !, They fixed what ever the problem was and my wife was able to log in to Soc Sec and do her thing. I think we have lost a year of our lives from the stress. Thank you all for you prayers and advise !!
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Ah, I see. So she's trying to request these benefits bc she's now eligible but attempting to do so online has led to this dead end. Do I have that right? If so, how long have you two been at this? Has it been this way for week/months? Sounds like it could be a glitch in the system. Is there an email address to contact? My guess is that if its happening to you, probably happening to other users as well. Might be a tech support type issue.
I still might consider contacting a lawyer. The media too. If you're in a red region/state, they might report on the issue and give it more attention. This is denial of service to a senior. Most people don't take kindly to seniors being bullied or discarded.
Correct , she is turning 65 and getting ready to retire. So she started a couple months ago and keep hitting dead ends. There is definitely some sort of glitch somewhere in the program as it recognizes the info at all points along the way until the last step. When we call and talk to folks they verify that they see all her correct info but cannot help us log on. We really need a tech person to figure this out I think, We are in a blue state , much to my dread, and we have a few more steps to take before lawyers, but media might actually be a good idea if our reps do not help.
Is there a tech savvy person you trust to come help you guide you through working with the system online? Friends, family, former co-workers, anyone?
I'm sincerely not trying to be rude when I say this, but I'm guessing you and your wife aren't extremely experienced with using a lot of the online services that have come to replace actual human expertise?
There could be all sorts of low level things that aren't apparent to people who don't spend much time on these sites but are common place that people who work with it regularly will know to check.
Sort of a slightly more elaborate "Did you turn it off and back on?" tech help.
I spent 3 hours trying to figure out why I couldn't get into my portal to my apartment complex to pay my rent the other month and it turned out to be the portal website blocking me because I was using a VPN saying i was in China (randomly connects to places around the globe) . Go figure. But it REALLY didn't want to allow access to someone in China.
Anyway, if you know a tech savvy person in the physical world who can come over and see what is actually happening first hand, I'm confident that this all can be fixed.
And if they can't come to your house physically, if either you or your wife could Facetime or Skype with them while you went through the system, and they could see literally the same thing you're seeing and what exactly it is you're doing, that would be a very close second.
And again, obviously only do any of this with someone you trust completely.
Ya that is why we were hoping to get a one on one with a soc sec person. Maybe kill two birds so to speak. Someone who knows the bureaucracy and paper work and also can see if the computer has a glitch or that we are doing something wrong.
The thing is, if it's something that originates on your end ( how your computer is set up, any anti virus programs you have running, certificates, VPNs, that sort of thing), they're just going to politely blow you off with a more nicely phrased "Not our problem." Well, at least I hope they're polite.
If you're open to going the AI route, this is something that most likely can be fixed using the free tiers of ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude.
I grew up with computers and have dealt with all kinds of tech over my life and I lean on these routinely to help me get past roadblocks when I don't have the time, patience, or money for professionals.
I don't know how much experience you have with these, but they are very user friendly. You just tell it in a conversational way what the problem is you're having, what you need it to do, etc.
It will ask you for whatever info it needs along the way.
I've found that if I tell it I'm a complete newbie at tech and ask it to walk me through in baby steps, I get the help I need to bust through whatever roadblock I'm facing.
Another big help is to work with two devices, both logged into the same account. Say a laptop and a phone or two phones. You need to be able to take pics with one. You can also do this with screengrabs on one device if it has the ability, but for people who don't use tech much, using the camera option on a 2nd device often seems easier for them. There are some sites that won't let you do screengrabs, for privacy concerns. Usually anything that has to do with medical records and banking will have screengrabs disabled. There's a good chance SS websites might block them as well.
What you do is that at each stage (or whenever the AI asks for it), you take a pic of your screen where you're working on the site. You upload it to whatever account you're using (use the same AI account for all devices. Just log into the same account on both devices and open the same chat. You'll have to manually refresh the chat comversation if you're using two devices to get the most recent post to show on both).
The AI can look at pics of your computer screen, at what you're typing/clicking/what page you're on and instantly tell you what you need to do next.
It sounds a whole lot more complicated than it actually is. And you don't have to worry about the AI mocking you or judging you. It just does the job.
VERY IMPORTANT: Whenever you're done, be sure to delete the pics and/or screengrabs you take off of your phones/laptop. And delete the conversation with the AI as well. Helps keep your info private.
yea, try the media. They might be able to get you some traction by reporting on it using the "inhumane treatment of seniors" angle. Good luck to you. If you wouldn't mind, keep us posted once you get it resolved. Your experience (as unfortunate as it is), might be very helpful to fellow frens.
Will do, Thanks
NEVER I REPEAT NEVER do it online. That is how it started my nightmare.
Go to your local office.
They have to take you.
Because of this thread/conversation, I went to SSA.gov. I'm 20 years away from SS eligibility but I did create an online account years ago to track my SS earnings. When I tried to log in a little while ago, thru ID.me, it was asking for all this biometric info. Is that what made it a nightmare for you? This seems like it should be such an easy thing to do online but of course......
No I never had any of that.
My nightmare began when I tried to apply online for Part A only with Social Security and Medicare because I was still working at 65 and my full retirement age was actually 66 and four months.
I was still covered by healthcare at work. They totally put me on Part A and B and it started a whirlwind of problems with my health insurance.
I called constantly for days hours and months. It is too long to get into.
My friend told me you should never do anything online. Go to the local office.
In my complete despair months into this mess the local office and my state representative fixed it almost immediately.
My husband applied directly with the local office because he saw the mess I had and his went through seamlessly.
Ya , she had to take pictures of ID docs and a face "scan " all of that was accepted and verified. So they basically said ya you are who you say you are. But then we continue to next steps, calls and emails back and forth and right at the end they say no we do not know who you are !! I do not like all of the biometric stuff but if we want to get anything back that we have paid in for our whole lives we have to play with "the mark of the beast".
We tried that today. They would not talk to us with out an appointment but we do not know how to get an appointment, as we have tried several times and it won't take us. They gave us a number and we sat there for hours waiting for help. We went up to one of the windows and they told us to wait our turn, which never came! Worse than DMV ever thought of being !
Our local office when my husband called gave him an appointment but they called him on the day of the appointment. Our local office is one of the best.
It worked perfectly.
Call your local office not the 800 number of Social Security.
I don't know what state you are in.
You have to dig to find the local office number. It always refers you back to the national 800 number.
This may be your problem.
If I know your state and local area I could find it for you.
You can PM me.
Keep the faith it took me almost a year to fix their stupid mistakes.