I’ve recently reached a milestone in life. Both Elsie and I registered for Social Security retirement benefits this week. We both passed our 65th birthday earlier this year, and as the arcane rules go we waited until this month to do the paperwork, timed with her impending retirement from the school system next February.
Elsie is a stickler for detail; a bulldog on matters like this. Problem is she also worries them death! Three or four months she’s been working on this stuff. Thank goodness she’s doing it…I’d have never bothered.
The process was complicated by the even more arcane retirement and pension benefits for Texas school employees. No social security deductions from the payroll, so no social security eligibility. She’s just eligible for half of mine. Yet the school retirement program is reduced dollar for dollar for the amount of social security benefit she gets from me! That certainly doesn’t seem fair or right, but that seems to be the case.
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We were lucky. We arrived for our Social Security appointment a tad late…Elsie worrying all the while in traffic…but they took us right away. The lady we drew was so knowledgeable and articulate and organized! Elsie with her meticulous files kept pulling out each document the lady requested, and all questions were answered promptly.
After an hour we had both of us completed, benefit amounts estimated, and two loose ends to complete. First, some obscure document from the school system to be signed. The second, my Veterans DD 214 was required. We had brought my discharge, but not the DD 214.
A return to the Galactic HQ of Acorn, a few clicks of the keyboard at the VA web site, and I was ready to request the proper form. Whoops! They need my service serial number! It’s not on the discharge document.
Hmmm. Wait! Didn’t I remember seeing my Dog Tags tucked away 35 years ago into the back of my dresser drawer? Sure enough. There they were, my serial number waiting to be entered. Click, click, it’s done! Boy the internet has made things simpler.
I started to return the Dog Tags to their back drawer place. Then I thought…my American Flag flies outside our house 24/7, and it will remain so until the last service man and woman return home. Which means the Flag flying is permanent.
So how should I mark the special days of the year when we honor our country and our service men and women?
The Dog Tags! I can wear the Dog Tags!
Instead of placing them in the back drawer, I hung my Dog Tags around my neck. I’ll wear them for another week….Pearl Harbor Day is approaching…and then I’ll haul them out from the dresser each national holiday.
Few will know that I’m wearing them, but all my fallen comrades will.
The author is the owner of Acorn Appraisal Associates, a 22 year old firm offering a wide range of quality appraisal services to the Financial and Business Communities. kverrett@oak-acorn.com
I have the right to remain silent. Anything I say will be misquoted and used against me
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