Automatic enrollment means that no work on your part is required to sign up. Your Medicare card will be sent to you in the mail. This will arrive three months before your 65th birthday.
Automatically Enrolled
If you have been receiving retirement benefits from the Railroad Board or Social Security four months before you reach age 65, you will be automatically enrolled in Original Medicare. Your Part A and Part B benefits will start the first day of the month you turn 65. If your birthday falls on the first, benefits will start the month prior.
Those with disabilities can automatically get Part A and Part B once they have received Social Security Disability Insurance for twenty-four months. The same timeline applies to those receiving disability benefits from the Railroad Board. Your Medicare card will be sent in the mail three months before your 25th month of receiving disability.
Those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS/ Lou Gehrig’s Disease) are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B the month their disability benefits begin. Your Medicare card will be mailed the month your benefits begin.
Not Automatically Enrolled
If you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), you are eligible for Medicare but need to enroll yourself through Social Security. You can sign up after three months of dialysis treatment.
If you are turning 65 and have not been receiving retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Board, you need to sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period. This lasts seven months and begins three months before the month of your 65th birthday.
