Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Consumer Alert: SSA Contracts with Private Companies to Place Follow-Up Calls to Individuals Receiving Low Income Subsidy Applications

The Social Security Administration has mailed the Application for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs (Form SSA-1020) to almost 19 million potentially eligible individuals.

As part of its effort to reach all people who qualify for the extra help, Social Security has contracted with NCS Pearson, Inc. and its partner, West Corporation, to conduct follow-up telephone calls to individuals who have not responded to the initial mailing of the application.

Please be aware that these vendor calls as well as the potential follow-up calls from Social Security Administration (SSA) staff present an opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to solicit personal information, which can lead to identity theft. Note that NCS Pearson and West Corporation staff can NOT enroll individuals over the phone or ask for any personal information. If requested by the consumer during the telephone call with the contractor, follow-up calls will be placed by SSA staff to facilitate completion of the low income subsidy application over the phone.

Seniors should be made aware of the following:

• These contractor calls are occurring.
• They should verify whether follow-up calls by SSA staff are legitimate prior to providing any personal information over the phone by calling back to a pre-printed SSA phone number.
• They should also be aware that the SSA will NOT enroll them in a specific plan, only assist them in completing the application for the low income subsidy.
• Ideally, consumers will be proactive and complete the application before they receive a follow-up phone call. Agencies can assist seniors by letting them know who can help them complete the application.

Information from the SSA Online Fact Sheet:

The vendor will follow a closely monitored script designed to remind individuals about the importance of completing and mailing the application back to Social Security if the individual is interested in filing.

The vendor will make the calls from Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. according to the local time zone for the beneficiary’s area code.

The vendor will ask individuals if they have received or completed an application, encourage them to do so if they are interested in the extra help and offer to have Social Security call to assist them if necessary.

If individuals need another application, have specific questions about the application or need assistance completing it, the vendor will arrange for Social Security to provide any needed follow-up.

Social Security is committed to safeguarding personal information and will not be giving the contractors any Social Security numbers or other personal information besides the name and last known address of the beneficiaries.

The vendor will not ask for any personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, income or resource information, etc.

When these calls are made, the callers will clearly identify themselves as employees of NCS Pearson and the West Corporation calling on behalf of the Social Security Administration. If a Medicare beneficiary receives a call from someone claiming to be a Social Security employee and is at all suspicious, they should:

• Ask the caller for their name and telephone number to call them back.
• Hang up and call Social Security immediately at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to confirm that the call is legitimate.

Q: Will the representative from the West Corporation ask me to provide them with any of my personal information?

A: No. The contractor is authorized only to find out if beneficiaries have received or completed an application and to encourage them to do so if they are interested in the extra help. However, you may be asked to verify your current address if you want another application mailed to you. In fact, this is one way you can be certain the call is legitimate. The contractor has no need for any personal information.

Q: What should I do if someone calls and claims to be a Social Security employee?

A: Unless you have completed and mailed an application, submitted an online application on Social Security’s website, or indicated to the contractor that you would like to talk to a representative from Social Security, you will not receive a call directly from a Social Security employee. A Social Security employee will only contact you if:

• There are questions on the application that were not answered.
• There are answers that cannot be read.
• There are discrepancies between answers on the application and information we receive from other federal agencies.
• You tell the contractor or another Social Security partner that you want someone from Social Security to help you complete an application over the phone.
• You tell the contractor you have questions you need answered by Social Security.

Q: What should I do if I’m suspicious or not comfortable with someone who claims to be an employee of Social Security?

A: If you are at all suspicious, you should:

• Ask the caller for their name and telephone number to call them back.
• Hang up and call Social Security immediately at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to confirm that the call is legitimate.

For more information: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/vendorfollowup/factsheet.htm