CSS Social Security & Medicare Benefits 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A surviving spouse is eligible to receive Social Security survivor benefits as early as what age?
- 50 (if disabled)
- 60 (Correct answer)
- 62
- 65
Correct answer: 60
A surviving spouse can begin receiving survivor benefits as early as age 60 (50 if disabled), though benefits are reduced before reaching full retirement age.
Question 2: Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans must cover at minimum:
- Only prescription drugs
- All services covered under original Medicare Parts A and B (Correct answer)
- Emergency care only outside the US
- Only preventive care and wellness visits
Correct answer: All services covered under original Medicare Parts A and B
Medicare Advantage plans are required by law to provide all benefits covered under original Medicare Parts A and B, plus they often include additional benefits.
Question 3: What is the Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) for most beneficiaries?
- The month of turning 65 only
- A 7-month window centered on the month of turning 65 (Correct answer)
- The first 3 months of the year you turn 65
- Any time after turning 62
Correct answer: A 7-month window centered on the month of turning 65
The IEP is a 7-month window: 3 months before, the month of, and 3 months after the month you turn 65.
Question 4: What penalty applies for late enrollment in Medicare Part B if no creditable coverage exists?
- 1% per year permanently added to the premium
- 5% per year for up to 10 years
- 10% per 12-month period permanently added to the premium (Correct answer)
- A one-time flat fee of $500
Correct answer: 10% per 12-month period permanently added to the premium
The Part B late enrollment penalty is a permanent 10% premium increase for each full 12-month period that a beneficiary was eligible but did not enroll.
Question 5: A 'File and Suspend' Social Security strategy was largely eliminated in 2016. What did it allow?
- Both spouses to file at 62 and suspend for delayed credits
- One spouse to file for benefits and immediately suspend, while the other collected spousal benefits and both earned delayed credits (Correct answer)
- Workers to suspend benefits and receive a lump-sum retroactive payment
- All workers to receive survivor benefits while earning delayed credits
Correct answer: One spouse to file for benefits and immediately suspend, while the other collected spousal benefits and both earned delayed credits
File and Suspend allowed one spouse to file and immediately suspend so the other could claim spousal benefits while both continued to earn delayed retirement credits.
Question 6: What is the Social Security 'Windfall Elimination Provision' (WEP)?
- A provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those who also receive a pension from non-covered employment (Correct answer)
- An extra benefit paid to low-income seniors
- A rule requiring pension recipients to file for Social Security first
- A provision eliminating taxes on Social Security for retirees
Correct answer: A provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those who also receive a pension from non-covered employment
The WEP reduces Social Security benefits for workers who receive a pension from employment not covered by Social Security, such as some government jobs.
CSS Social Security & Medicare Benefits 2
A surviving spouse is eligible to receive Social Security survivor benefits as early as what age?