Posts under ‘Benefits’

If you are disabled, how far back will Social Security pay benefits? Back to when the disabiilty began?
It depends on whether you are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI or DIB), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays benefits back to the “Protected Filing Date (PFD),” the date you contacted [...]

If you apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI or DIB), you may be surprised that Social Security keeps the first 5 months of back benefits.
This is referred to as the “5 month waiting period.”
If you awarded benefits back to January 1st, Social Security actually keeps the benefits for January, February, March… all the [...]

Did you know that you can get Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s earnings, even if you are divorced?
Click to read who is entitled to wife’s or husband’s benefits as a divorced spouse?

If you are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or applying for SSI, you should know that Social Security’s SSI benefits have increased. 
For 2008, the Federal Benefit Rate (the maximum you can receive in SSI) is $674 for individuals and $1,011 for couples. For most people though, this means the maximum SSI benefits you can get [...]

I was recently asked this question:
My Ex is getting Social Security disability benefits.  I have custody of our kids.  Can my kids get any benefits because of my ex’s disability?
Perhaps, but you have to meet several requirements:

The disabled parent must be receiving Title 2 Social Security Disability benefits. If the parent is receiving Title 16 SSI [...]

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; [...]