Posts under ‘Benefits’

If your spouse is disabled and entitled to Social Security Title 2 benefits -Disability Insurance Benefits, you may be entitled to receive benefits from Social Security.  
These benefits are called “auxiliary benefits.”
It is important to remember that auxiliary benefits are only available if the disabled spouse (disabled husband or disabled wife) is receiving Disability Insurance benefits.  There are no auxiliary benefits when [...]

If an individual is disabled and entitled to Social Security Title 2 benefits – also called Disability Insurance benefits, his or her minor children can also receive benefits from Social Security.  
These benefits are called “auxiliary benefits” by Social Security.
It is important to remember that auxiliary benefits are only available if the disabled parent (disabled [...]

If your husband or wife dies, you may wonder if you can receive Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s contribution to Social Security.  
This is especially important if your spouse made more money that you did, or if your spouse was the sole earner and you did not work.
Many people worry that if they cannot receive [...]

I previously wrote about how Social Security can stop benefits if a person is a fleeing or fugitive felon.
The courts have been wrestling with the question of whether an outstanding arrest warrant (not a conviction, just the arrest warrant) is enough to make a person a “fleeing felon.”
NSCLC Website writes about a court’s rejection of Social Security claiming [...]

Updated 06/05/09.
Can a person work and still receive Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits?
The answer is a qualified “yes.”
Social Security wants people to try to go back to work. But, the regulations surrounding keeping your benefits while you try to go back to work make it tricky.
Are you engaged in a Substantial [...]

Do you want to know how much you would receive in Social Security benefits if you were disabled, retired, or if your spouse died?  
Social Security has online calculators, as well as calculators you can download (Mac versions too), to help you estimate what your Social Security benefits will be. 
If you have problems using these calculators, Social Security [...]

If Social Security alleges that you owe them money to repay an overpayment, you have two choices to fight it:  

You can either file a “Waiver of Overpayment,” or 
You can file a “Request for Reconsideration.“

Social Security may direct you towards filing the waiver, but there are some things you should know before making a decision.

Social Security has a fact sheet answering common questions about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for disabled children:

How does Social Security decide if a child is disabled?
How can I get ready for the disability interview?
How does Social Security decide if a child can get SSI?
How will I know what Social Security has decided?
Will my personal information [...]

There’s good news if Social Security has told you that you were overpaid, and you need to repay, Social Security benefits! Social Security has increased the “administrative waiver” amount to $1000. 
Administrative waivers of overpayments apply in cases where the cost of recovering the overpayment is greater than the amount of the overpayment itself.

I previously wrote about how Social Security disability benefits stop during incarceration.
However, your Social Security disability benefits can also stop if you labeled a “Fugitive Felon.”
Fugitive felons is anyone who is

Fleeing to avoid prosecution for a crime which is a felony; or
Fleeing to avoid custody or confinement after conviction for a crime which is a felony; [...]

I saw this question in the comments on Jonathan Ginsberg’s site, Social Security Disability Blog:
I would like to know if a convicted felon, who is not incarcerated, can receive Title 16 SSI disability?
This is a great wrinkle on our current discussion on the effect of incarceration on Social Security disability benefits, including SSI.  I encourage [...]

Jonathan Ginsberg of the Social Security Disability Blog writes about what happens to your Social Security benefits if you are in jail/prison.
I recently received an email question from a blog reader about the eligibility of a convicted felon for Social Security disability benefits.  There is a simple answer here – you may not collect disability [...]

Social Security benefits will be going up in 2009.
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for more than 55 million Americans will increase 5.8 percent in 2009, the Social Security Administration announced today.  The 5.8 percent increase is the largest since 1982.
Social Security Announces Benefit Increase for 2009.

I was recently asked if you will still receive your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits if you move to a different state.  I understand the fear of moving to a different state when you rely on SSI benefits to make it month to month.
Fortunately, the general answer is yes.
Social Security is a national program.  Whether you [...]

Here is a popular questions:
I’m on SSI, do I have to tell Social Security about an inheritance/settlement I am getting?
The answer is simple:
YES!
There is no point beating around the bush with this one.  If you are on SSI and “come into money” whether it is a gift, inheritance or settlement (or through whatever means), you [...]