Under certain circumstances, the government can seize part of your Social Security check to satisfy unpaid debts, including overdue federal taxes and delinquent federal student loans. In some circumstances, past due child support can also be deducted … [Read more...]
What will happen to Grandma and Grandpa currently in the nursing home under the proposed budget cuts?
Currently, Medicaid pays for about two-thirds of the 1.4 million elderly people in nursing homes. The Legislative Branch is currently debating the dramatic cuts to Medicaid, in addition to many other public service programs currently up for … [Read more...]
President Trump’s Budget Request includes $72 Billion in SS Cuts
The entire 2018 Budget Proposal, “A New Foundation for American Greatness.” Proposes to cut Federal spending by $3.6 Trillion over the next 10 years. Most of the largest cuts are aimed at discretionary spending, but over $1 Trillion is aimed at … [Read more...]
Social Security Is Not Going to Sustain You In Your Golden Years
The first US Disability Program was the Civil War Pension program which began during the civil war in 1862. It provided benefits for soldiers with disabilities “incurred as a direct consequence of ... military duty.” Widows and orphans could receive … [Read more...]
It’s getting harder to get Disability.
In 2016, for the first time in nearly 30 years, the number of Americans receiving Social Security disability payments declined. The 8.89 million people receiving SSD in January 2016 marked the first time that the number of people receiving … [Read more...]
President Trump Causing increase in SSA Wait Time
President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze will exacerbate the backlog of cases waiting to be heard for Social Security Disability. There are currently around 1,650 Administrative Judges hearing disability claims in the US. Even with this … [Read more...]
2017 SSA Changes
COLA or Cost of Living Adjustments are meant to keep benefits on track with inflation rates. The 2017 COLA adjustment is .3%. The tax rate is remaining unchanged, with employees still being taxed at 7.65% and self-employed persons being taxed at … [Read more...]
Changes to How SSA Examines Mental Disabilities
As of January 17, 2017, SSA is updating their criteria for determining whether or not someone is disabled due to a mental or emotional impairment. The new criteria have more specific examples and are better defined, helping claimants get … [Read more...]
2034 and 2023 – Important Years to keep in mind for all current and future SS Beneficiaries.
For years and years people have been claiming that Disability and SS Retirement are going to end. They are actually separate funds, but at times, they have borrowed from one another to keep both programs afloat. Due to the aging of the baby … [Read more...]
Choosing Between waiting for Disability or Food Stamps
Earlier this year, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the program that oversees Food Stamps, found that the economy is improving enough to stop extending the time low income people could receive food stamps. The work-for-food … [Read more...]
SS Disability and Gun Control
SSA has issued a Notice of Proposed rule which would prohibit any individual from owning a gun if they have been adjudicated as, “a mental defective or who has been committed to a mental institution.” Mental defective sounds pretty not PC, it has … [Read more...]
Student Loan Discharge
Depending, upon your student loan/lender, when you are found disabled by SSA, your loans may be forgiven. Some, but not all lenders will do this now. President Obama introduced an executive action in April 2016, that will help all disabled people … [Read more...]
