#social security administration

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lorie Konish at CNBC:

The Social Security Administration is set to implement new rules to make it easier for beneficiaries to access certain benefits and increase the payments some may receive. The new changes affect Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, which provides more than 7 million Americans with monthly benefit checks. Those benefits are for seniors ages 65 and up, or adults and children who are disabled or blind, and who have little or no income or resources. “We already know that the benefit amounts that are available to people receiving SSI are incredibly low,” said Lydia Brown, director of public policy at the National Disability Institute. “They’re not as high as perhaps they could be to fully account for the needs that people have,” Brown said. The maximum federal monthly SSI benefit is currently $943 per eligible individual and $1,415 for an eligible individual and eligible spouse. The changes, which are slated to go into effect Sept. 30, are a “positive move in the right direction,” Brown said.

Updates to definition of public-assistance household

The agency on Thursday announced a new rule to expand the definition of a public-assistance household. Now, households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments and those where not all members receive public assistance will be included. With the change, more people may qualify for SSI, current beneficiaries may see higher payments and individuals who live in public-assistance households may have fewer reporting requirements, according to the Social Security Administration. The previous policy required all household members to receive public assistance. A public-assistance household will be defined as one with both an SSI applicant or beneficiary, as well as at least one other member who receives one or more forms of means-tested public income maintenance payments.

[...]

Other rule changes to help beneficiaries

The Social Security Administration is also working to address outdated practices through two other rules that are set to go into effect on Sept. 30. One change will expand the SSI rental subsidy policy to make it less likely that renting at a discounted rate or other rental assistance will affect a beneficiary’s SSI eligibility or monthly payment amount. That policy, which was already available in seven states, will apply nationally. Another change will make it so the SSA no longer counts food assistance toward support beneficiaries receive from other parties that may reduce their SSI benefit amounts.

The Social Security Administration keeps track of the resources SSI beneficiaries receive outside of their federal benefits, formally known as in-kind support and maintenance, or ISM. The purpose of ISM is to reduce SSI benefits if a recipient receives support from family and friends by treating that as unearned income, Milburn said.

Effective September 30th, Social Security Administration (SSA)’s changes to loosen Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility will take effect.

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[askgildaseniors]

Social Security and Medicare are two programs that help support us as we age. Social Security provides financial support in retirement, while Medicare ensures access to healthcare services.

Social Security offers income for retirees or those unable to work due to health reasons. It also extends support to families who've lost loved ones, providing survivor benefits.

Meanwhile, Medicare steps in to offer health insurance for individuals aged 65 and older, as well as those with certain disabilities or illnesses.

When it comes to enrolling, the Social Security Administration (SSA) partners with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to guide older Americans through the process. SSA sends out enrollment packages before your Medicare enrollment period begins, typically three months before you turn 65.

If you're already receiving Social Security benefits at age 65, you'll likely be automatically enrolled in Medicare. But if not, you'll need to apply through the SSA website.

Now, on to payments. Once enrolled, most individuals pay monthly premiums for Medicare Part B, that covers outpatient treatments. Social Security simplifies this process by deducting Part B premiums directly from benefit payments. If you have Medicare Advantage or Part D plans, you can also set up deductions from your benefits.

[snarp]

ohhhhhh this shit is pathetic

Lawyers: "will the SSA start using email any time soon"

SSA: "oh gosh this modern technology stuff we would LOVE to get in on that"

Lawyers: "does the SSA know about the concept of "law firms""

SSA: "we don't believe in those."

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

On Thursday, the Social Security Administration announced its largest cost of living adjustment for beneficiaries in four decades, an inflation-driven raise of 8.7% that will take effect in January 2023. That increase matches the average annual COLA from 1975 through 1982, an era of recessions and high inflation. Annual Social Security raises declined after that year. From 1996 through 2021, they averaged 2.3%, and were zero in some years. The 2021 raise was substantially higher: 5.9%.

The new increase in benefits will be pricey. On the other hand, the cost to taxpayers of the entire Social Security program pales in comparison with the cost of federal subsidies for rich Americans enrolled in private or supplemental retirement plans, such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs). According to Federal Reserve data from 2019, only 31% of households from the poorest half of the wealth spectrum contributed to such a plan, while 91% of households in the top wealth decile did.

This suggests that low-wealth retirees rely heavily or exclusively on Social Security, but all US workers get to collect benefits starting at age 62. As of last month, nearly 66 million Americans, rich and poor alike, were getting monthly checks. Most are retirees, but there are also spouses, disabled workers, survivors of deceased workers, and dependent children. The largest and best-compensated group, the retired workers, averaged $1,674 a month, or about $20,000 per year.

The SSA now pays out about $1.2 trillion a year in benefits all told, but those outlays are largely funded by payroll taxes paid by workers who will later reap the benefits. In 2021, the price tag of the entire program—benefits plus administrative costs—totaled $1.14 trillion, of which $1.09 trillion was covered by payroll taxes, income taxes on benefits, and interest. In other words, the federal Social Security subsidy was only about $50 billion.

Compare that with subsidies for private plans and IRAs, which cost the government nearly eight times as much—about $380 billion a year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. And unlike Social Security subsidies, these subsidies skew heavily toward the highest earners.

There’s a reason I noted the year 1996 above. Before then, as I point out in this earlier exposé about America’s retirement system, private retirement accounts were strictly regulated and not heavily subsidized. Starting that year, federal lawmakers—led by then Reps. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), began introducing bipartisan retirement “reform” packages that pumped more and more federal dollars into bolstering private retirement savings, mainly to the benefit of high-income workers and Wall Street.

University of Virginia law professor Michael Doran, who dug deep into the subject for a January 2022 paper titled, “The Great American Retirement Fraud,” suggested that lawmakers, rather than helping rich Americans shuffle even more of their money into tax-­deferred or tax-exempt retirement funds, could instead pass laws to benefit Americans who actually need help in retirement. That might include simply beefing up Social Security, he wrote.

Instead, yet another bill that benefits wealthy savers sailed through Congress. And Republican Rick Scott released a set of aspirations for his own party—an 11-point “Plan for America,” of which one provision would let all federal laws “sunset” every five years—including laws governing Social Security and Medicare.

[elkgrovecabendorgrinchsightings]

HOW MANY DESCENDANTS OF OLAF GRINCH ARE ON THE PLANET, AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT?

[atypicalstrong]

can someone please explain to me why the fucking ssa.gov website has hours of operation. why is this a thing. i am nocturnal and just want to check on my mcfreaking disability application

[cinisekha]

filling out disability paperwork like “yes i am incurably mentally and physically ill, i’ve been sick since i was born and i have consistently failed at being a normal part of society for 28 years and i hate myself for it.”

[enbyhyena]

Friendly reminder that disabled people claiming SSI are not allowed to have more than $2,000 in combined income AND assets at any time. And even before getting anywhere near that limit, at any $ amount above $63, every other dollar is subtracted from your allowance.

The current MAXIMUM amount you can be issued is $914. So even if you COULD somehow acquire and attempt to save $2,000 (which is basically impossible in the current economy) your benefits would immediately stop cold turkey, trapping you in poverty.

Trying to work through your disability is often punishing, especially for hourly wages where income can vary drastically. This is because SSI takes 2-3 months to process your paychecks, and so if you do really well one month and really poorly the next, you won't get the support you need due to the delayed response time from the government.

Also, 10,000 people die a year waiting to hear whether or not they qualify for benefits. The average waiting time is 2-3 years. You are not allowed to work AT ALL while you wait or they will throw out your case completely. Most people are denied at least once before being accepted, if they ever get accepted at all.

There are a record amount of homeless people in the United States right now. A staggering amount of them are disabled and/or LGBT. And our rights are being stripped away en masse, making everything even more perilous.

Happy Disability Pride Month.

[enbyhyena]

i just got an email from the social security administration.

allow me to stare a screenshot from it, just to highlight how fucking predatory and cutthroat the SSI program is capable of being.

most notably from the email, and what i'll be focusing on today: the "food" bulleted point. they, until last month, counted food gifts (from food banks, neighbors, friends, other peers) as "income", and if reported, would gut your social security payment proportionally to the value of the food received. also note that them removing this stipulation does not include SNAP/EBT payments—therefore, if you receive enough food stamps, they will still cut down on how much SSI you receive.

ssi, which is only $943 per month. which, when broken down to a standard 40hr work week, works out to $5.89 an hour. in a world where american minimum wage is $7.25 and the average national rent is $2,000 a month. you can't even *get* $2,000 a month on ssi or they immediately slash you from the program. which forces disabled people to sacrifice their independence, often resulting in them becoming trapped in financially abusive situations. and the social security administration completely ignores other financial drains; all it cares about is rent. when they perform your annual review all they ask about is your cost of rent. they don't care about transportion costs, medical bills, etc. they don't factor that into your living expenses at all. all of this, and they had the audacity to tax FOOD.

so yeah. i've gone on similar rants before, and i and all of my friends know how fucking awful the social security program is. but even after being on SSI for 6 years, it still finds new ways to shock me. food, man. shit you need to eat literally in order to survive. not even money FOR food. just the food itself, and the act of receiving it. this never should've been allowed to happen in the first place, and the fact they're only rolling it back in 2024—52 years after the program's creation—is INSANE.

[anzu2snow]

I got an email about my student loans. Apparently through SSA they determined I’m on TPD or Total and Permanent Disability. Through that, they are discharging my student loans. (Or they’re being forgiven.) I don’t have to do anything. They’ll just get rid of them. I had an ok program beforehand where it was based on my income, which was nothing, and they’d forgive it about 15 years later. This is just automatic. Much better. Good news. I didn’t know I’d get so many benefits through SSA.

I also tried to contact Amazon’s customer service through an email address I found. Apparently they don’t use that anymore. So, through kdp (kindle direct publishing, I published my books through it) I looked for another way to contact them. The only way to do it was either calling or chatting with them. I decided to chat with them.

My royalties are $98 through the US market, and a little from the Canadian and Great Britain ones. They said before that you can’t get your royalties until you hit $100 in the US market. So, I was surprised I got a letter, a couple of months ago, saying they’ll finally pay me my royalties. They said it’ll be $92. I wondered why it wasn’t $98, but maybe it was taxes or something. I got my first deposit straight to my bank account that was only $6.24. This obviously made me upset. I thought where’s the rest of it?

Anyways, after chatting for a while, they told me I should get the rest at the end of the month. That was a relief. I don’t know why they only did the $6.24 first and not the whole thing. So, this was good news too.

[cksaksen-blog]

Child Welfare Reforms and SSI Updates – What You Need to Know About the Latest U.S. Welfare Changes

Today, several significant updates have been announced in the realm of U.S. welfare programs, especially surrounding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and child welfare. Breaking: New SSI Rule Changes Could Impact Millions – Find Out How! 1. Changes to SSI Eligibility Rules Starting from September 30, 2024, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has introduced important changes to SSI…

[identitychip]

[askgildaseniors]

What do you do if you need to replace your Social Security card?

The Social Security Administration advises that you don't need your physical card; knowing your number is usually sufficient. But if you want to replace it, you can do so at no charge, either online or in person at your local Social Security office.

For the online option, you'll need a My Social Security account. We have another video explaining how to set up your account here: https://youtu.be/826nBxt1gbU

Once you've set up your account, you can request a new card online as long as you're 18 or older, have a U.S. mailing address, and possess a valid driver's license or government-issued ID. You must visit your local Social Security office if you don't meet these requirements.

After you've submitted your request, your new Social Security card should arrive by mail within two weeks.

[snarp]

They'd scheduled the speakers from furthest-right-leaning (noncommitally-smile-grimacing SSA senior officials calling the "30,000 people/year die while their disability claims are being processed" situation a "customer service" problem) to furthest-left-leaning (volunteer lawyers for people who have been mistreated by the SSA + severely-disabled woman who has been mistreated by the SSA), to ensure that the people with the most-serious grievances didn't speak until 2/3 of the room had left for lunch. Will be interested to learn if AppalRed gets any new volunteers.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Americans’ Social Security checks will get a lot smaller in 2034 if lawmakers don’t act to address the pending shortfall, according to an annual report released Friday by the Social Security trustees.

That’s because the combined Social Security trust funds – which help support payouts for the elderly, survivors and disabled – are projected to run dry that year. At that time, the funds’ reserves will be depleted, and the program’s continuing income will only cover 80% of benefits owed.

The estimate is one year earlier than the trustees projected last year. About 66 million Americans received Social Security benefits in 2022.

Medicare, meanwhile, is in a more critical financial condition. Its hospital insurance trust fund, known as Medicare Part A, will only be able to pay scheduled benefits in full until 2031, according to its trustees’ annual report, which was also released Friday.

At that time, Medicare, which covered 65 million senior citizens and people with disabilities in 2022, will only be able to cover 89% of total scheduled benefits. Last year, Medicare’s trustees projected that the hospital trust fund’s reserves would be depleted in 2028.

LONG-STANDING FISCAL TROUBLES

Immensely popular but long troubled, Social Security and Medicare are on shaky financial ground in large part because of the aging of the American population. Fewer workers are paying into the program and supporting the ballooning number of beneficiaries, who are also living longer. Also, health care is becoming increasingly expensive.

Social Security has two trust funds – one for retirees and survivors and another for Americans with disabilities.

Looking at them separately, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund is projected to run dry in 2033, at which time Social Security could pay only 77% of benefits, primarily using income from payroll taxes. The date is one year earlier than estimated last year.

The Disability Insurance Trust Fund is expected to be able to pay full benefits through at least 2097, the last year of the trustees’ projection period.

Merging the two trust funds would require Congress to act, but the combined projection is often used to show the overall status of the entitlement.

Social Security’s projected long-term health worsened over the past year because the trustees revised downward their expectations for the economy and labor productivity, taking into account updated data on inflation and economic output.

However, the long-term projection for Medicare’s hospital trust fund’s finances improved, mainly due to lowered estimates for health care spending after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the program is projected to take in more income because the trustees estimate the number of covered workers and average wages will be higher.

ADDED PRESSURE ON CONGRESS

The trustees’ reports are the latest warnings to Congress that they will have to deal with the massive entitlement programs’ fiscal problems at some point soon. But addressing their issues is politically challenging. Elected officials are hesitant to suggest any changes that could lead to benefit cuts, even though that could reduce their options in the future.

“With each year that lawmakers do not act, the public has less time to prepare for the changes,” the trustees warned in a fact sheet.

The programs’ shortfalls are back in the spotlight this year as President Joe Biden and House Republicans battle over how to address the nation’s debt ceiling drama and mounting budget deficits. GOP lawmakers want to cut spending in exchange for resolving the borrowing limit, while the White House has said it will not negotiate.

In a memorable moment in his State of the Union address in February, Biden garnered public acknowledgment from congressional Republicans about keeping Social Security and Medicare out of the debt discussions.

But “not touching” Social Security means a hefty cut in benefits within a decade or so.

“Change is inevitable because without changes to current law, both Social Security and Medicare Hospital Insurance would go insolvent, subjecting program participants to sudden and severe payment cuts,” said Charles Blahous, senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and former Social Security and Medicare trustee. “The outstanding question is whether change will be tolerably gradual, or instead highly damaging because it is too long delayed.”

Though Biden has repeatedly vowed to protect Social Security, his latest budget proposal did not include a plan to stabilize its finances.

However, his proposal did call for extending Medicare’s solvency by 25 years or more by raising taxes on those earning more than $400,000 a year and by allowing the program to negotiate prices for even more drugs.

Spending on the entitlement programs is also projected to soar and exert increased pressure on the federal budget in coming years.

Mandatory spending – driven by Social Security and Medicare – and interest costs are expected to outpace the growth of revenue and the economy, according to a Congressional Budget Office outlook released in mid-February.