In an effort to promote and further its mission of advocating, advancing and achieving independence for the aging community, Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging (PSR) is collecting and shredding seniors’ old Medicare cards as new cards arrive to Medicare clients in the area.

PSR is collecting old Medicare cards, which will be securely shredded, at its eight Friendship Cafes across Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties.

The agency is also collecting them at its Farmville office at 1413 South Main St. in Farmville between 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Shoppes at College Park.

“Seniors should not throw away their old Medicare cards when they receive their new ones,” said PSR Executive Director Justine Young, “as the cards contain seniors’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth. If these cards are simply thrown away, this information could be compromised.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Social Security Numbers are being removed from all new Medicare cards. “A new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the new Medicare cards for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status and claim status,” officials said on the center’s website.

For more information, call PSR at (434) 767- 5588 or email PSR@ PSRAAA.org.