First Baby Boomer Applies For Social Security

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's first baby boomer has applied for Social Security benefits.<br/><br/>The move signals the start of an expected avalanche of applications from the post World War II war

Monday, October 15th 2007, 9:11 pm

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's first baby boomer has applied for Social Security benefits.

The move signals the start of an expected avalanche of applications from the post World War II war generation.

Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, a former teacher, applied for benefits over the Internet at an event attended by Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue.

He says Kathleen Casey-Kirschling was born one second after midnight on January 1st, 1946, making her the first of a nearly 80-million member generation born from 1946 to 1964.

Kathleen Casey-Kirschling will be eligible for benefits after she turns 62 next year.

Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue says an estimated 10,000 people a day will become eligible for Social Security benefits over the next two decades.

The Social Security trust fund, if left alone, is projected to go broke in 2041.