Some of you may have experienced a delay in receiving your Medicare cards and in the mail from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Medicare. The delay is due to the impacts of COVID-19 on SSA/Medicare.  
This delay can cause problems for retirees seeking to transition to a Medicare health insurance supplement plan by Retirement Services. Historically, Retirement Services has required retirees to send in a copy of their Medicare card before they would transition/process the retiree into a Medicare health insurance supplement plan. The Medicare card contains your Medicare number, which is integral to the transition process.
Because of the COVID -19 delay, retirement services will now accept a retiree’s social security Benefits Verification Letter as opposed to the card. This letter contains the information (i.e., Medicare number) that retirement services needs to transition the retiree into a Medicare supplemental plan.
Process for attaining your SSA Benefits Verification Letter

• Go to the Social Security website  https://www.ssa.gov/ set up an account (if you have not already done so) and log into your account.

• On the right side of the page, click on Replacement Documents.

• In the new window, in the Medicare Card box, in the last line, click “get a benefit verification letter.”

• A new window will open that shows a benefit verification letter specific to you inclusive of your medicare number.

• Provide a copy of this letter to your retirement services rep. They will use it to transition you into a medicare supplemental plan.

• When you receive your official medicare card, forward a copy of it to your retirement services rep.