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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 8, 2021 Page 19 PORTAL TO HOPE | FROM PAGE 13 My Sister Mary Foundation, volunteers his time managing the organization’s website, and her husband, Malden Firefighter and a Deputy Fire Chief in the United States Air Force, SMSgt. George Romvos, volunteers his time working with military families aff ected by abuse. “In addition to having the opportunity to help others, the best part of the job is in meeting people along the way who want to get involved at PTH,” said Deborah Fallon. “We would not be the organization that we are today if it wasn’t for the people who have partnered with us, working to end domestic violence.” Today, PTH remains one of six Massachusetts nonprofi ts serving survivors of domestic violence onsite at medical facili~ Legal Notice ~ NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Malden Community Preservation Committee Notice is hereby given that the City of Malden Community Preservation Committee will hold a public hearing on Weds. October 20, 2021, at 6:00PM Eastern Time, via remote hearing, at which members of the public are invited to attend to participate and provide comments. The CPC will give a presentation about the Community Preservation Act in Malden, will gather public input on the overall CPA program, and will hold a project hearing for a supplemental request for funds for Wallace Park Wall. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Maria Luise, ADA Compliance Coordinator at mluise@cityofmalden.org or 781-397-7000, Ext 2005 The hearing will be hosted by the City of Malden on Zoom and will be accessible to members of the public who are invited to attend and provide comments via the following link: https://cityofmalden.zoom.us/j/93118880638?pwd=VmZDQ0lqR2FpajJMWndJL0xRSCsyQT09 Passcode: 510788 Or via Telephone: (US) +1 929 436 2866 or +1 646 518 9805 Webinar ID: 931 1888 0638 Passcode: 510788 For further information, or to submit written comments and questions, please contact the City of Malden Community Preservation Committee via email at maldencpc@cityofmalden.org October 8, 2021 Will You Qualify For Medicare Soon? 100% Covid Safe Medicare Advantage application process is available. Why invite trouble? Apply safely and securely. Perhaps I can help. If you have a computer and internet service call Edward Murray 617-387-5020. ~ Home of the Week ~ SAUGUS....One level living Ranch Style home offers spacious living room with woodstove, wood floors and palladium window, bright and sunny eat in kitchen with a new picture window, stainless steel appliances and sliders to an oversized deck, two bedrooms and a full bath on the main level. Finished lower level offers a large family room with separate entrance, office and half bath. Fenced in yard, side street location close to the Veterans Memorial School. Offered at $449,900 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. ties, thanks to its long-standing partnership with MelroseWakefi eld Healthcare. Its law enforcement program serves as a model for other agencies to adopt, and PTH enhanced its partnership with the Medford Police Department, where Police Chief Jack Buckley created space for PTH to open up a new offi ce onsite at the new station. This year, PORTAL TO HOPE| SEE PAGE 20 a y avvy S iorenniiooro a avvyavvy iori n r by Jim Miller How Does Social Security Work When a Spouse or Ex-Spouse Dies? Dear Savvy Senior, Who qualifies for Social Security survivor benefits? My exhusband died last year, so I would like to fi nd out if me or my 17-year-old daughter are eligible for anything? Divorced Survivor Dear Divorced, If your ex-husband worked and paid Social Security taxes and you and/or your daughter meet the eligibility requirements, you may very well be eligible for survivor benefi ts, but you should act quickly because benefi ts are generally retroactive only up to six months. Here’s what you should know. Under Social Security law, when a person who has worked and paid Social Security taxes dies, certain members of that person’s family may be eligible for survivor benefi ts including spouses, former spouses and dependents. Here’s a breakdown of who qualifi es. Widow(er)’s and divorced widow(er)’s: Surviving spouses that were married at least nine months are eligible to collect a monthly survivor benefi t as early as age 60 (50 if disabled). Divorced surviving spouses are also eligible at this same age, if you were married at least 10 years and did not remarry before age 60 (50 if disabled), unless the marriage ends. How much you’ll receive will depend on how much money (earnings that were subject to Social Security taxes) your spouse or ex-spouse made over their lifetime, and the age in which you apply for survivor benefi ts. If you wait until your full retirement age (which is 66 for people born in 1945-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later), you’ll receive 100 of your deceased spouses or ex-spouses benefi t amount. But if you apply between age 60 and your full retirement age, your benefi t will be somewhere between 71.5 – 99 percent of their benefi t. There is, however, one exception. Surviving spouses and exspouses that are caring for a child (or children) of the deceased worker, and they are under age 16 or disabled, are eligible to receive 75 percent of the worker’s benefi t amount at any age. Unmarried children: Surviving unmarried children under age 18, or up to age 19 if they’re still attending high school, are eligible for survivor benefi ts too. Benefi ts can also be paid to children at any age if they were disabled before age 22 and remain disabled. Both biological and adoptive children are eligible, as well as kids born out of wedlock. Dependent stepchildren and grandchildren may also qualify. Children’s benefi ts are 75 percent of the worker’s benefi t. You should also know that in addition to survivor benefi ts, a surviving spouse or child may also be eligible to receive a special lump-sum death payment of $255. Dependent parents: Benefits can also be paid to dependent parents who are age 62 and older. For parents to qualify as dependents, the deceased worker would have had to provide at least one-half of the parent’s fi nancial support. But be aware that Social Security has limits on how much a family can receive in monthly survivors’ benefi ts – usually 150 to 180 percent of the worker’s benefi t. Switching Strategies Social Security also provides surviving spouses and exspouses some nice strategies that can help boost your benefi ts. For example, if you’ve worked you could take a reduced survivor benefi t at age 60 and switch to your own retirement benefi t based on your earnings history – between 62 and 70 – if it off ers a higher payment. Or, if you’re already receiving retirement benefi ts on your work record, you could switch to survivors benefi ts if it off ers a higher payment. You cannot, however, receive both benefi ts. You also need to know that if you collect a survivor benefi t while working, and are under full retirement age, your benefi ts may be reduced depending on your earnings – see SSA.gov/ pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf. For more information on survivor benefi ts, visit SSA.gov/ benefi ts/survivors. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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