((a)) ** Individuals over 65 years** Every individual who—

((1)) has attained age 65, and

((2))

((A)) is entitled to monthly insurance benefits under , would be entitled to those benefits except that he has not filed an application therefor (or application has not been made for a benefit the entitlement to which for any individual is a condition of entitlement therefor), or would be entitled to such benefits but for the failure of another individual, who meets all the criteria of entitlement to monthly insurance benefits, to meet such criteria throughout a month, and, in conformity with regulations of the Secretary, files an application for hospital insurance benefits under part A of subchapter XVIII,

((B)) is a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary, or

((C))

((i)) would meet the requirements of subparagraph (A) upon filing application for the monthly insurance benefits involved if medicare qualified government employment (as defined in ) were treated as employment (as defined in ) for purposes of this subchapter, and (ii) files an application, in conformity with regulations of the Secretary, for hospital insurance benefits under part A of subchapter XVIII,

((b)) ** Individuals under 65 years** Every individual who—

((1)) has not attained age 65, and

((2))

((A)) is entitled to, and has for 24 calendar months been entitled to, (i) disability insurance benefits under or (ii) child’s insurance benefits under by reason of a disability (as defined in ) or (iii) widow’s insurance benefits under or widower’s insurance benefits under by reason of a disability (as defined in ), or

((B)) is, and has been for not less than 24 months, a disabled qualified railroad retirement beneficiary, within the meaning of , or

((C))

((i)) has filed an application, in conformity with regulations of the Secretary, for hospital insurance benefits under part A of subchapter XVIII pursuant to this subparagraph, and

((ii)) would meet the requirements of subparagraph (A) (as determined under the disability criteria, including reviews, applied under this subchapter), including the requirement that he has been entitled to the specified benefits for 24 months, if—

((I)) medicare qualified government employment (as defined in ) were treated as employment (as defined in ) for purposes of this subchapter, and

((II)) the filing of the application under clause (i) of this subparagraph were deemed to be the filing of an application for the disability-related benefits referred to in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (A),

((c)) ** Conditions** For purposes of subsection (a)—

((1)) entitlement of an individual to hospital insurance benefits for a month shall consist of entitlement to have payment made under, and subject to the limitations in, part A of subchapter XVIII on his behalf for inpatient hospital services, post-hospital extended care services, and home health services (as such terms are defined in part E of subchapter XVIII) furnished him in the United States (or outside the United States in the case of inpatient hospital services furnished under the conditions described in ) during such month; except that (A) no such payment may be made for post-hospital extended care services furnished before January 1967, and (B) no such payment may be made for post-hospital extended care services unless the discharge from the hospital required to qualify such services for payment under part A of subchapter XVIII occurred (i) after , or on or after the first day of the month in which he attains age 65, whichever is later, or (ii) if he was entitled to hospital insurance benefits pursuant to subsection (b), at a time when he was so entitled; and

((2)) an individual shall be deemed entitled to monthly insurance benefits under section 402 or , or to be a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary, for the month in which he died if he would have been entitled to such benefits, or would have been a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary, for such month had he died in the next month.

((d)) ** “Qualified railroad retirement beneficiary” defined** For purposes of this section, the term “qualified railroad retirement beneficiary” means an individual whose name has been certified to the Secretary by the Railroad Retirement Board under . An individual shall cease to be a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary at the close of the month preceding the month which is certified by the Railroad Retirement Board as the month in which he ceased to meet the requirements of .section 231f(d) of title 45section 231f(d) of title 45

((e)) ** Benefits for widows and widowers**

((1))

((A)) For purposes of determining entitlement to hospital insurance benefits under subsection (b) in the case of widows and widowers described in paragraph (2)(A)(iii) thereof—

((i)) the term “age 60” in sections 402(e)(1)(B)(ii), 402(e)(4), 402(f)(1)(B)(ii), and 402(f)(4) of this title shall be deemed to read “age 65”; and

((ii)) the phrase “before she attained age 60” in the matter following subparagraph (F) of and the phrase “before he attained age 60” in the matter following subparagraph (F) of shall each be deemed to read “based on a disability”.

((B)) For purposes of subsection (b)(2)(A)(iii), each month in the period commencing with the first month for which an individual is first eligible for supplemental security income benefits under subchapter XVI, or State supplementary payments of the type referred to in (or payments of the type described in ) which are paid by the Secretary under an agreement referred to in (or in ), shall be included as one of the 24 months for which such individual must have been entitled to widow’s or widower’s insurance benefits on the basis of disability in order to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits on that basis.

((2)) For purposes of determining entitlement to hospital insurance benefits under subsection (b) in the case of an individual under age 65 who is entitled to benefits under , and who was entitled to widow’s insurance benefits or widower’s insurance benefits based on disability for the month before the first month in which such individual was so entitled to old-age insurance benefits (but ceased to be entitled to such widow’s or widower’s insurance benefits upon becoming entitled to such old-age insurance benefits), such individual shall be deemed to have continued to be entitled to such widow’s insurance benefits or widower’s insurance benefits for and after such first month.

((3)) For purposes of determining entitlement to hospital insurance benefits under subsection (b), any disabled widow aged 50 or older who is entitled to mother’s insurance benefits (and who would have been entitled to widow’s insurance benefits by reason of disability if she had filed for such widow’s benefits), and any disabled widower aged 50 or older who is entitled to father’s insurance benefits (and who would have been entitled to widower’s insurance benefits by reason of disability if he had filed for such widower’s benefits), shall, upon application for such hospital insurance benefits be deemed to have filed for such widow’s or widower’s insurance benefits.

((4)) For purposes of determining entitlement to hospital insurance benefits under subsection (b) in the case of an individual described in clause (iii) of subsection (b)(2)(A), the entitlement of such individual to widow’s or widower’s insurance benefits under section 402(e) or (f) of this title by reason of a disability shall be deemed to be the entitlement to such benefits that would result if such entitlement were determined without regard to the provisions of .

((f)) ** Medicare waiting period for recipients of disability benefits** For purposes of subsection (b) (and for purposes of and ), the 24 months for which an individual has to have been entitled to specified monthly benefits on the basis of disability in order to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits on such basis effective with any particular month (or to be deemed to have enrolled in the supplementary medical insurance program, on the basis of such entitlement, by reason of ), where such individual had been entitled to specified monthly benefits of the same type during a previous period which terminated—

((1)) more than 60 months before the month in which his current disability began in any case where such monthly benefits were of the type specified in clause (A)(i) or (B) of subsection (b)(2), or

((2)) more than 84 months before the month in which his current disability began in any case where such monthly benefits were of the type specified in clause (A)(ii) or (A)(iii) of such subsection,

((g)) ** Information regarding eligibility of Federal employees** The Secretary and Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall jointly prescribe and carry out procedures designed to assure that all individuals who perform medicare qualified government employment by virtue of service described in are fully informed with respect to (1) their eligibility or potential eligibility for hospital insurance benefits (based on such employment) under part A of subchapter XVIII, (2) the requirements for and conditions of such eligibility, and (3) the necessity of timely application as a condition of entitlement under subsection (b)(2)(C), giving particular attention to individuals who apply for an annuity under chapter 83  of title 5 or under another similar Federal retirement program, and whose eligibility for such an annuity is or would be based on a disability.section 410(a)(5) of this title1

((h)) ** Waiver of waiting period for individuals with ALS** For purposes of applying this section in the case of an individual medically determined to have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the following special rules apply:

((1)) Subsection (b) shall be applied as if there were no requirement for any entitlement to benefits, or status, for a period longer than 1 month.

((2)) The entitlement under such subsection shall begin with the first month (rather than twenty-fifth month) of entitlement or status.

((3)) Subsection (f) shall not be applied.

((i)) ** Certain uninsured individuals** For entitlement to hospital insurance benefits in the case of certain uninsured individuals, see .section 426a of this title