Documentation of Social Security

[mslauren2930]

Q: If a person is 62 or older and decides to wait until a later age to start collecting social security, can we use a self-attestation for the documentation? We are requiring a social security benefits letter to validate it, but we no longer see that requirement in any of the handbooks

[charteroakadmin]

A: Grantees are not supposed to investigate sources of income. Under normal conditions, all that is required is that the person certify that he or she has provided accurate eligibility information and attest that he or she has no sources of income other than those listed. Since normal retirement age for Social Security is now 66, if the person has sufficient income to live on, the person might well choose to defer collecting Social Security in order to receive a higher amount at normal retirement age. Unless there are circumstances that reasonably lead you to to believe that the person is not being honest, e.g., the person has no or insufficient income and cannot explain how he or she is supported, there is no reason to ask the Social Security Administration to validate that the person has not filed a claim.