At 62, Deborah Gee had some money set aside for retirement and planned to work a few more years to add to her savings before spending her golden years volunteering at church, sewing and enjoying more time with her granddaughter. Those plans changed when Gee lost her job in August.

At 62, Deborah Gee had some money set aside for retirement and planned to work a few more years to add to her savings before spending her golden years volunteering at church, sewing and enjoying more time with her granddaughter.

Those plans changed when Gee lost her job in August.

Still without work when her state unemployment benefits ran out last month, Gee, of Columbus, was forced into early retirement and is getting by on $1,000 a month in Social Security benefits.

�I�m watching it and not buying anything extra,� Gee said. �But I really need something to do."

As many Americans delay retirement to bolster their savings, others are being forced to draw Social Security sooner than they planned because of longtime unemployment and the end of federal emergency aid for jobless workers.

�A lot of people would like to delay retirement, but they aren�t able,� said Phyllis Cummins, a researcher at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University. �It really puts people at risk of economic insecurity in retirement.�

The recession was particularly rough on older workers as job losses derailed plans to continue working to increase retirement income.

Researchers say older workers tend to be less likely to lose their job during a rough economy, but when they do, they are far less likely to find a new one than younger workers are.

�While employers are more willing to retain older workers, they are less likely to hire them,� said Richard Johnson, director of the Urban Institute�s Program on Retirement Policy.

The perception, he said, is that older workers will demand higher salaries, will cost more because of health issues and might not be as easy to train as younger workers.

�It really takes older workers a long time to get re-employed � about twice as long as younger workers.�

Eventually, some, like Gee, give up and file to collect Social Security benefits. Benefits are available to them at 62, but they get less than they would if they waited until their full retirement age.

�It�s not a great solution because it means they have less retirement income for the rest of their lives, but it means they don�t lose their house and they can buy groceries and pay their bills,� Johnson said. �It�s something, but it could come back to haunt them in their 80s if they have large medical bills.�

Ohio�s unemployment rate dipped to 6.9 percent in January, but that doesn�t account for Gee and others dropping out of the workforce to retire.

The Social Security Administration does not collect data on forced retirements. However, statistics show that initial claims made by those age 62 to 64 have increased during periods of higher unemployment.

In 2009, at the height of the recession, claims made at age 62 were up 2 percent from two years earlier.

Federal officials were unable to provide statistics for claims made since emergency federal unemployment benefits ended in late December.

However, officials at local Social Security offices who are not authorized to speak to the media say they have been flooded with early claims in the past two months.

For 1 in 3 Americans, Social Security provides all or most of their retirement income; it is the largest source for more than half of retirees. The average retirement age was 64 in 2012 (the most recent year for which the statistic is available), up from 63 in 1998.

�We�ve seen this a lot over the last five years as the recession hit � people tapping into their 401(k) plans and savings and taking early Social Security,� said David Certner, legislative policy director for AARP.

�Not only are you not contributing to your retirement, but you�re drawing down your savings. It�s a huge reduction and potential change in your standard of living.�

Single with a grown son, Gee had worked for a local cable-TV company for 17 years when her clerical position was outsourced to the Philippines in August.

For six months, she lived on about $350 a week in state unemployment compensation and updated her computer skills while searching for a job. Potential employers never said so, but she said she believes her age works against her.

When her jobless benefits ran out in February and Congress was still debating another extension of emergency aid, Gee reluctantly applied for Social Security.

�I had a choice: go on welfare or collect Social Security. I didn�t want to go on welfare,� she said.

But it�s a decision that will cost Gee for the rest of her life. By collecting benefits more than three years before her full retirement age of 66, she will get about a third less each month than if she�d waited.

Until Gee reaches age 66, she can earn about $15,000 a year without losing part of her Social Security benefit, so she�s looking for a part-time job. If that doesn�t work out, she might start a home seamstress business.

�I�m really hoping to find something with (health-care) benefits.�

ccandisky@dispatch.com

@ccandisky