Social Security Statements Mailed Details About Benefits Will Go To 125 Million Working Americans. Congress Voted In 1989 To Require Mailings.

WASHINGTON — In an effort to improve Americans' awareness of their retirement benefits, President Clinton said the government had begun yesterday mailing annual statements detailing Social Security benefits.

The statements will be sent to 125 million working Americans who are at least 25 years old, but do not yet receive government retirement benefits, Clinton said before leaving for a three-day fund-raising trip on the West Coast.

"This new Social Security statement will help more Americans understand what Social Security means to them," Clinton said. "It will form a vital part of any family's financial planning, and help more Americans chart a course to retirement that is clear and secure."

The first installment of a half-million individualized statements had been sent yesterday by the Social Security Administration, the President said. It is the biggest customized mailing ever sent by the government.

The statements will estimate the retirement, disability and survivor benefits that each worker and each worker's family could be eligible to receive. The statements will estimate retirement benefits for age 62, the full retirement age ranging from 65 to 67, and the maximum retirement age of 70.

Also included in the statements will be a record of individual earnings, giving workers the chance to ensure that their earnings are accurately posted on Social Security records.

The government will time the personalized Social Security letters so that every worker older than 25 will receive an update once a year about three months before his or her birthday.

Congress voted in 1989 to require the mailings, which at 56 cents a letter will cost about $70 million a year.

The Social Security Administration has been gearing up for the task since 1995, by sending sample statements to about 73 million people, most over age 40.