Supplemental Security Income

January 31, 2016

Social Security Disability Issues with Adult Disabled Children

A recent news feature from Forbes deals with a rather complex issue involving Social Security disability benefits for adult children with disabilities. While the term “adult children” sounds a bit odd, we are talking about someone’s son or daughter who is now an adult.

The article followed a couple that went to the Social Security Administration (SSA) office to deal with an issue involving their Social Security Old Age and Retirement benefits. This is what most people think of when they are talking about Social Security benefits. These are benefits you receive if you have worked and paid taxes and reach a certain age when you are supposed to be able to retire. Continue reading

December 20, 2015

Report: Thousands Do not Receive Social Security Disability Checks this Month

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits can be a long and difficult process, especially for the claimant who is not represented by experienced disability counsel. Once a claimant finally gets declared disabled and is deemed eligible for Social Security benefits, he she will obviously depend on those benefits to make ends meet and help take care of his or her family. If those benefits were to stop being deposited in claimant’s bank account without warning, that would not only be inconvenient, but could subject a claimant to a significant hardship.

According to a recent news article form Kiro 7 News, thousands of Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries were shocked to discover the monthly direct deposit for their disability benefits was not made last month. The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) has stated that there was some kind of problem with the Supplemental Security Income benefits payment file. Continue reading

December 16, 2015

Differences Between SSDI and SSI

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is the federal agency responsible for the oversight and administration of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. These are two different programs. While both programs are designed to provide benefits for disabled Americans, they operate differently and have different requirements for qualification for disability benefits.

In a recent news article from Public Opinion, a manager from a local SSA office explained the difference between Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income. As the manager describes, Social Security Disability Insurance is based upon the prior earnings of a disabled claimant. This program obtains funding by taxes workers pay into Social Security taxes, which are withheld from each paycheck. Continue reading

September 16, 2015

Social Security Disability Benefits Options Help Children with Cancer

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Anyone at any age can develop cancer without prior warning. While many people may not be aware of this unfortunate fact, each year thousands of newly diagnosed cancer patients in the United States will be under the age of 20 at time of diagnosis, according to a recent news feature from Tribune Star. Many of these victims are young children. It is hard to imagine anything worse than being told your child has cancer, and, as September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness month, it is worth taking a brief moment to think about these young victims and their families.

While many people are aware of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, which is designed to proved benefits for disabled adults who can no longer work due to a disability, many are not aware of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, also administered by the Social Security Agency (SSA), and how it may be able to provide benefits to families caring for a child diagnosed with cancer. Continue reading

August 28, 2015

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability Benefits – A Closer Look

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are available to workers who paid taxes long enough to have “paid into the system” and have become disabled for reasons other than an on-the-job injury. On-the-job injuries are typically covered by workers’ compensation benefits.

However, in the case of disabled children, the elderly, and blind individuals, it may be difficult or impossible to qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits due to the fact these people may never have worked, or even if they had worked at one time, had not worked long enough or recently enough to have paid into the system. One can only pay into the system by working enough fiscal quarters immediately prior to becoming disabled, and thus having earned enough quarterly credits. Continue reading

July 10, 2015

Social Security Disability Benefits for Children

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When people think of the Social Security disability benefits program, they are normally thinking of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. SSDI is a program where workers have taxes withheld from their paychecks each pay period. Some of the tax withheld goes to federal and state income and some goes to fund federal benefits programs like the Social Security programs. However, the money is then further divided and some goes to fund the Social Security retirement fund and some goes to fund the Social Security disability programs. SSDI is one of these programs.

After paying taxes by working for a specific number of fiscal quarters in a row, workers earn credits into the SSDI program. Essentially, every worker is paying a premium for disability insurance in case that worker suffers an injury or illness that causes a disability and prevents that person from working full or part time. Continue reading

July 3, 2015

National Cancer Survivors Day and Social Security Disability

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The first day of June each year is National Cancer Survivors Day across America. Many of these cancer victims have managed to survive the deadly disease but are still unable to return to work. Even after cancer has been removed and patients have gone into remission, many are left with significant health issues from surgical complications and weakened or non-existent immune systems from chemotherapy and radiation treatments necessary to remove and kill tumors.

According to a recent news feature from The Daily Courier, many of these cancer survivors must turn to the Social Security Administration and their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to economically after they have survived cancer. Continue reading

June 22, 2015

Child Cancer Patients Turn to Supplemental Security Income Benefits as Adults

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is essentially a government-run, long term disability insurance program. However, instead of paying a premium directly to an insurance company, as is required to secure and maintain a private disability benefits policy, workers have a portion of their gross pay deducted from their paychecks, and the money is used to fund the Social Security disability benefits programs, including SSDI.

Once a worker has earned enough credits by working for a minimum number of quarters and becomes disabled through injury or illness, claimant can file a claim for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. If a claimant has not worked enough quarters in the years prior to developing the illness or suffering a debilitating injury, claimant will not be eligible for SSDI benefits.
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June 20, 2015

Social Security Disability Benefits when Agency Believed Claimant was Dead

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

It is often hard enough to get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in the first place. After Social Security Administration (SSA) finally awards you benefits, the benefits should continue for years to come. However, it is easy to understand why SSA would terminate benefits when they have information a claimant is no longer living, but one would hope they would verify this information before terminating benefits.

According to a recent news article from KITV, one disability claimant in Hawaii who was very much alive, was told her benefits were terminated because she had died. While one might assume this would be an easy problem to correct, much like other procedures involving SSA, this turned out to be fairly complicated.

Apparently, claimant’s name was accidentally added to the SSA’s Death Master File, and her benefits were discontinued. The inspector general for the agency estimates around 1,000 disability benefits claimants are mistakenly added to the Death Master File each month. Claimant found out she had been cut off when she could not access the checking account set up to receive her SSDI benefits, and she could not pay her bills. She immediately called to find out what happened, and an agency representative simply stated, “I’m sorry, we’re showing that you are dead.”
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June 17, 2015

Papesh v. Colvin: Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits Litigation

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Papesh v. Colvin, a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, involved a claimant who worked as a bakery assistant, where she helped decorate cakes. She had earned a GED and lived with her husband and her adult daughter.

She began to experience pain, which eventually got worse. Claimant reported to doctor she had long-term lower back pain, which radiated through her legs and hips. She reported the pain was worse while she was working, because the bakery’s concrete floors were difficult to stand on for an entire day. She started to develop palpation of her lumber spine as well as general back pain.

After turning 50, the pain had gotten to a point where claimant could not stand to work an entire eight-hour shift at the bakery. After working, she was forced to lie on her back with a pillow under her knees and use an ice pack. Her treating physician determined she had some disc problems and chronic changes to her nerve bundles. He did not believe she suffered from true radiculopathy and referred her to an interventional pain clinic and a neurosurgeon. Her doctor also ordered she not work during the three weeks of the busy season at the bakery.
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