ORGANIZATIONS

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
810 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20420
(800) 827-1000 | (202) 273-5400
http://www.va.gov/
The VA Web site is a worldwide resource that provides information on VA programs, benefits and facilities worldwide. Many benefit application and information forms are available from this site.

Department of Veterans Affairs
National Cemetery Administration
810 Vermont Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20420
(800) 827-1000
The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors Veterans with a final resting place and lasting memorials that commemorate their service to our nation. Maintains national cemeteries and provides a headstone or marker and Presidential Memorial Certificates in recognition of veteran's service to their nation.

Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA)
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219-8776
Protects the integrity of pensions, health plans, and other employee benefits for more than 150 million people. The Division of Technical Assistance and Inquiries assists members of the public with technical questions relating to pension, health, or other benefits offered by employers.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
1200 K Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005-4026
(800) 400-PBGC
www.pbgc.gov
PBGC is a federal corporation created under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to guarantee payment of basic pension benefits earned by about 43 million American workers and retirees participating in nearly 40,000 private-sector defined benefit pension plans.

Social Security Administration (SSA)
Office of Public Inquiries
6401 Security Blvd.
Room 4-C-5 Annex
Baltimore, MD 21235-6401
(800) 772-1213
www.ssa.gov
The SSA's OnLine website provides a wealth of information including benefit information publications, how to apply for retirement benefits, and how to locate and contact your local office. A searchable Q&A database provides answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding Social Security Benefits.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
406 West 34th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111
(816)756-3390
http://www.vfw.org/
VFW administers a host of programs and pursues issues of national importance to veterans. The VFW has more than 15,750 trained service officers to assist any veteran or their dependents in gaining federal or state entitlements.

HOTLINES AND TOLL FREE NUMBERS

Social Security Administration's hotline provides recorded public information on benefits 24 hours a day. Other direct customer services are available at this toll-free number from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on business days.
(800) 772-1213.

INTERNET SITES AND WEB RESOURCES

The Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration website contains several consumer articles on pensions. http://www.dol.gov/

SUGGESTED READING

Cash, Connacht. The Medicare Answer Book. Race Point Press, 1999. Provides definitions of commonly misunderstood terms, useful addresses and phone numbers and extremely practical advice about how to keep from being overwhelmed by the paperwork.

Dickens, Thomas. Keys to Understanding Social Security Benefits (Barron's Keys to Retirement Planning). Barron's Educational Series. 1992. An easy-to-read summary of how each of us contributes to the program and the various ways in which we're entitled to benefit.

Jehle, Faustin. The Complete & Easy Guide to Social Security, Health Care. Williamson Publishing. 2000. Discusses medical, hospice and drug expenses and explains which programs provide coverage for them. An extensive directory provides telephone numbers for the organizations and people who can help.

Landis, Andy. Social Security : The Inside Story : An Expert Explains Your Rights and Benefits. Crisp Publications. 1997. A comprehensive, easy-to-read guide to the Social Security and Medicare systems, outlining benefits and special provisions. Discusses the organizations and their histories, eligibility requirements, payment computations, the claim process, family and survivors benefits.

Matthews, Joseph L. Social Security, Medicare & Pensions. Nolo Press. 1999. An essential handbook that shows everyone over the age of 55 how to maximize benefits and cut through the bureaucracy to get what they're entitled to.

Tomkiel, Stanley. Social Security Benefits Handbook. Sourcebooks. 1998. For those looking for accessible, understandable assistance. The author has distilled details about how Social Security is administered and what benefits are available for whom into clearly presented, easy-to-locate explanations.

Treanor, J. Robert. Mercer Guide to Social Security and Medicare 2000. Wm. M. Mercer Publishing. 2000. A simple explanation with easy-reference benefit tables.