How much can I get from SSI in 2010?
Social Security usually increases Supplemental Security Income benefits annually. Since 2007, SSI benefits have increased from $623, to $637 (in 2008), to $674 (in 2009).
Sadly, Social Security is not increasing SSI benefits for 2010. SSI benefits are staying at $674 for individuals and $1,011 for couples.
This is the first year in a decade that SSI benefits have stayed the same for two years in a row!
What’s new in Social Security in 2010?
The Social Security Red Book page has a nice summary of the the changes in the Social Security system in 2010:
We increased the Substantial Gainful Activity SGA amount for individuals with disabilities, other than blindness, from $980 to $1000 for 2010.
The SGA amount for individuals who are blind is $1,640 for 2010. The amount is unchanged from 2009.
We increased the monthly earnings amount that we use to determine if a month counts for the Trial Work Period TWP from$700 to $720 for 2010.
For 2010, the Supplemental …
What can we do for you in 2010?
We love our clients and want to make working with our office the best experience possible! So, we are sending out this letter to all of our clients asking what we can do better:
As the New Year arrives, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve you. For 2010, I am resolving to serve you better. That is why I am asking you the following question:
If you could make one change in my office, what would it be?
Nothing is off the table. If you think we need to communicate differently, bill differently, stay open longer, use different technology, or even answer the phone faster, let me know. …
Do powerchairs cost as much as cars?
Mark E. Smith’s great blog Wheelchairjunkie.com, has a great article about powerchairs — a topic which combines two issues I am passionate about: disabilities and technology.
I have seen some amazing powerchairs, from a super speedy model with an Herman Miller Aeron chair, running circles around people at Sam’s club, to a Dean Kamen Segway filled with a small bench (!) at Whole Foods letting the rider sit much higher that in a traditional chair, aiding in shopping and interacting with people at a common height. It is exciting seeing the developments in this area. These advances create an expectation of more than just simple …
Obama calls for $250 payments to seniors – Yahoo! News
Remember the earlier post about the 2 year freeze (2010 & 2011) on cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security beneficiaries and how it would result in a net decrease in benefits because while benefits may stay the same, Medicare premiums are likely to go up?
Well, it looks like there may be an extra stimulus payment to seniors to help offset the increase.
President Barack Obama called on Congress Wednesday to approve $250 payments to more than 50 million seniors to make up for no increase in Social Security next year.
Check out this article for more information: Obama calls for $250 payments …
Guest post on Bob Kraft’s P.I.S.S.D. website
As part of my series on how to prove you are disabled and eligible for Social Security disability benefits, my latest article, “Winning Social Security Disability Benefits After Age 50” is now on Dallas Texas Social Security disability attorney Bob Kraft’s P.I.S.S.D. (Personal Injury Social Security Disability) website.
Click the link and check it out!
Social Security benefits decreasing in 2010 and 2011?
The news has been going around for some time that there will be no cost of living adjustment in Social Security benefits (including retirement and disability benefits) for the next two years, 2010 and 2011. However, it looks like the real amount of benefits will actually decrease for many.
The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won’t be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. … By law, Social Security benefits cannot go down. Nevertheless, monthly payments would drop for millions of people in the Medicare prescription drug program because the premiums, which often are deducted from Social Security payments, are scheduled to go up slightly.
Ouch!
Keep in …
Social Security News
The “Social Security Hot Topics” Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program provided quite a bit of information about the state of Social Security.
More judges on the way:
150 new judges already hired in 2009.
20-30 additional judges to be hired before end of 2009
~200 more judges to be hired in 2010.
Applications on the rise:
With the poor economy, more people are filing for disability benefits. There has been approximately a 25% increase in new claims filed in 2009.
Psychological problems loom large in disability cases:
35-40% of disability cases involve mental limitations.
New National Hearing Centers (NHC) coming online:
National Hearing Centers handle video hearings only, and can hear cases from around the country to try to reduce …
Fleeing felon definition changed due to class action suit
I previously wrote about how Social Security stops benefits for fleeing felons. However, there has been considerable litigation across the country regarding what constitutes a “fleeing felon.”
Social Security changed its definition of “fleeing” due to a settlement in the nationwide class-action lawsuit.
The April 2009 issue of capital NOSSCR Social Security Forum has a lengthy discussion of this:
Maximum attorney fees increase to $6000
If you hire a lawyer on a Social Security case after today, you may be surprised to learn that the maximum fees are $6,000.
I thought the most a lawyer can charge in a Social Security case was $5,300? That’s what the attorney who helped my cousin said.
Don’t worry, no one is trying to pull a fast one. Social Security has just increased the fee cap (for the first time since 2002).
I have to pay $6,000 to hire an attorney?!?
No, the $6,000 amount is the cap on attorney fees. In most fee agreements:
You only pay fees if you win …
VA begins testing on Dean Kamen’s prosthetic Luke arm
Alright! Dean Kamen’s prosthetic “Luke” arm is one step closer to helping amputess, especially injured veterans:
Last week, VA announced the start of a three-year clinical trial that represents the first large-scale testing of the arm, a critical step before it can be made widely available. The first patient was fitted with an arm in April.
The device was developed by Deka Research and Development, the New Hampshire company whose founder, Dean Kamen, invented the Segway and various medical devices.
The robotic arm, nicknamed the “Luke arm” after the artificial arm worn by Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films, allows those who have lost a limb …
Second National Hearing Center opens with more on the way
Social Security has opened a National Hearing Center (NHC) in Albuquerque New Mexico. This is Social Security’s second NHC — a hearing office which only handles video hearings.
Albuquerque initially will hear disability cases for Kansas City and Portland, Oregon — two of the most backlogged offices in the US. Social Security’s first NHC, located in Falls Church, Virginia, opened in December 2007 and has contributed to improve processing times in Atlanta, Georgia, Cleveland, Ohio and Flint, Michigan.
Read Social Security’s press release here.
The April 2009 NOSSCR Social Security Forum notes that two additional NHC offices are planned for …
Seniors may have to give back $250 stimulus payment
Everyone is waiting for the one-time $250 economic stimulus payment from Social Security. However, some seniors may have to give the money back!
Social Security beneficiaries received notices last month that they soon will be getting a $250 check courtesy of President Obama’s economic recovery package, but the administration did not say that some recipients may have to give part of it back.
The problem: Seniors who also work and qualify for Mr. Obama’s $400 Making Work Pay middle-class tax cuts may find themselves forced to give back some or all of the Social Security bonus come tax-filing time in 2010.
….
The one-time payments that will be …
Swine Flu – Map of suspected and confirmed cases
Here is a Google mash-up map of the spread of the swine flu: suspected cases in pink, confirmed cases in purple. You can grab, pan and zoom in as needed.
05/12/09 Update: Hey, we got a live map again! Yay! or OMG! (depending on how you look at it). Scroll down for a color chart which explains everything. You can also see the map in full here.
05/02/09 Update: the map has been taken down because it was no longer being updated. There is an updated map at flutracker.rhizalabs.com.
Rhizalabs is being hit very hard and you may not be able to connect. Below is a non-updated, static image from rhizalabs taken on …
CDC on Swine Flu
For up to date information go to http://cdc.gov/swineflu/
Ok, everyone. Keep calm. Wash your hands. If you get sick (fever, coughs, body aches, sore throat, headache, chills, fatigue, occasionally associated with vomiting or diarrhea), go see a doctor.
