Information on the functions and benefits to be provided by the U.S. Social Security Administration, as can come in a wide range of potential forms, can be provided, to pick one particular form, through the online source for Social Security administration forms, as are currently made accessible through Social Security Online, at the www.ssa.gov website.

In particular, people can refer to the Social Security Forms section of this website at the www.ssa.gov/online/ web address. Social Security forms may be required for a variety of different tasks, such as receiving Social Security cards and ID numbers for the first time, or registering for specific Social Security programs like Disability Insurance.

In this regard, the Social Security administration forms section on www.ssa.gov includes such categories as Online Forms, Medicare Forms, Disability Forms, Reconsideration and Appeals Forms, Benefit Application Supporting Forms, and Other Social Security Forms. People can also find information, again in the Social Security Forms page maintained by the government, on topics such as Information You Need to Apply for Benefits and Forms from Other U.S. Government Agencies. In general, Social Security administration forms will be designated SSA, followed by a unique serial number.

Among others, documentation other than Social Security forms as may nonetheless be relevant to the functions of this department can include that of the IRS. Potentially important Social Security Administration forms include SSA-3368 Adult Disability Report, a Child Disability Report, and the SS-5 Application for a Social Security Card. People outside the U.S. can refer to their local consulate, embassy or other governmental office.

The function of a Social Security name change, as can come up and will be necessary in the event that, for a number of possible reasons, an individual decides to legally change the name by which he or she is known in the U.S., is provided for the relevant authority of the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Moreover, the U.S. Social Security Administration also provides for people to change name on Social Security card in the event of a mistake in that which has been assigned to them.  In this regard, people can refer, in general, to the Social Security Online website at www.ssa.gov, as well as to the specific section on “Changing Your Name on your Social Security Card,” at https://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/315/~/changing-your-name-on-your-social-security-card.

The first part of a “change name on Social Security card” function is provided through the basic kind of documentation of an Application for A Social Security Card, or Form SS-5, as is commonly administered to people who have lost their Social Security card or need to receive one for the first time. The completion of this document constitutes the first recognized step in a Social Security name change.

As the second stage of a “change name on Social Security card” process, a person will have to provide, in addition to the proof of personal identity and recognized U.S. citizenship or other form of permissible residence and employment in the country, proof of the name change’s legality. Step 3 is to submit, by mail or in person, the relevant documentation.

The Social Security index of documentation maintained by the relevant government agency, that of the U.S. Social Security Administration, represents an immense collection of information on citizens and residents of the United States. Social Security records are maintained for the ultimate purpose of providing the various benefits to which persons have a right under the laws of the country, such as, most commonly, those of retirement benefits, but in the shorter term also allow for the taxation of people in order to financially support the U.S. social security system.

Despite the wide ranging nature of Social Security records, these are not, for the most part, made available for the direct use by U.S. residents. Instead, information from the Social Security index, as would be one of the millions of Americans accordingly placed within it, can be made permissibly available to another U.S. resident or citizen based on at least one of two conditions being present.

In this regard, Social Security records can be provided to people based either on the individual thus inquired after having died, or if the subject of the Social Security Records has signed a release form for the person making the query. In order to take advantage of this route for access into the Social Security index, the applicant must also pay a specified fee. In any case, accessing Social Security records will require knowledge of the name of the person thus referred to in documentation, and might be aided by additional knowledge as to that person’s Social Security Number (SSN).