Social Security benefits keep approximately 40% of Americans over the age of 65 out of poverty. These benefits cover retirement, disability pay for both senior citizens and disabled children under a set age of senior citizens, spouse pay, and widow pay. To achieve these benefits, a person at or over the accepted age must fill out an application. To begin the process of seeing if they are eligible for the benefit programs. A Social Security Application can be found over the Internet or at a local social security office, of which there are around 1300 in the US. To find a social security office, you can visit the government's Social Security website, where you will be able to locate and get directions to your nearest office. You can also, in most places, fill out an electronic application online and submit it. This process normally takes 15-30 minutes. You can also apply over the phone through the government's 1-800 numbers or, if you are deaf or hard of hearing, through a dedicated tool-free TTY number.