New Bill Would Change Social Security Claiming Age Terminology

The Senior Citizens League, Johnson continued, "supports legislation that requires SSA to mail these statements because they are helpful in planning and not everyone has the resources to access their Social Security accounts electronically."

That said, "there is a lag time, and statements may not reflect the most recent year of earnings. Thus, the amount of benefits show is only an estimate," Johnson relayed.

Recipients, she said, "should review their earnings history on these statements closely. If there are gaps in the record you may need to figure out why and get the documentation needed to correct your record. Marriages, and name changes are frequent reasons for missing earnings histories."

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare said Tuesday in a statement that it also supports Cassidy's bill.

"We support increasing mailings to future Social Security beneficiaries and adjusting language so that older Americans have as much information as possible to make an informed decision about when to claim benefits," the committee said.

The committee also has "worked tirelessly to educate the public – most recently through our ongoing Delay & Gain campaign – about the importance of timing benefit claims correctly. Except under some special circumstances, it is almost always wiser to defer claiming Social Security benefits until at least your full retirement age. Claiming earlier results in lifetime reductions to your monthly Social Security checks. Waiting beyond the full retirement age increases your benefits for life."