Social Security essentially is one among the most popular of government programs. Unemployment insurance, old age and disability pensions are the attractive parts of this social security. Social security is just one among the different programs aimed at elder care. Medicare is another popular one. The benefits are available to normal, working individuals at the age of 65, till death. You contribute to the social security fund while you work and receive the benefits after your retirement.

The common social security disability benefits include Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Disabled Adult Child, Disabled Widow's/Widower's Benefits and Medical Insurance. Retirement benefits and spousal benefits are factors that attract majority of Americans to Social Security.

While the checks arrive to your doorsteps every month without failure, you need to qualify yourself once a while. The government needs to make sure you are still qualified to receive the benefits package. If you want, you can also set up to receive the funds with direct deposit. Direct deposit of social security funds also can eliminate the risks of the check being lost or stolen.

People relying on social security to meet monthly expenses also have additional reasons to cheer now, as the president-elect Barack Obama suggests various plans for strengthening the system.

Individuals can also find several legal options to increase social security benefits. Several of the recent studies by experts point you to some shrewd strategies, which can considerably increase your social security benefits. However, they are not conventional financial wisdom and startling for many. Techniques like combining social security (of the spouses), drawing benefits and reapplying for social security, etc are the strategies that persons aged 62 and above can take. They are complex strategies, but applied correctly, they can put more money in your pocket.

Senior citizens' forums also discuss such strategies and share with you the knowledge of expert financial planning.

Social security is available for dependant children too. However, the retired person should have contributed long enough for the children to be qualified to receive social security benefits. You also have to prove the child depends on you financially.

Some people say you should start receiving Social Security benefits early. Some say you should receive it later. In case both the spouses have Social Security contributions, one can draw early and the other can wait. The strategies of getting maximum returns from Social Security scheme are thoroughly planned out. With the assistance of a knowledgeable finance planner, you can easily get it, without blindly following any schemes or conventional wisdom.