Blog

Last month the Trump Administration proposed changes to Social Security’s rules that would make it easier to cut off benefits to disabled Americans. The proposed rule change, which the Social Security Administration is currently accepting public comments on, requires a new category of disabled recipients who would be medically reviewed every two years to determine… Read more »

A recent story found in the International Business Times reported that 71 percent of workers fear that Social Security won’t be around for future retirees. This could be a concern for generations from now, but for everyone who responded to this survey, Social Security will be around, and no expert disputes that. The only question… Read more »

Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul recently provided a letter to the public on the agency’s website of how he aimed to improve customer service and outlined his plan to do so. Saul says that he has a common sense approach to improving customer service at Social Security and said Social Security’s fundamental mission is to… Read more »

Social Security has rules in place that limits the maximum amount of benefits that can be paid to a beneficiary’s family. There are different rules depending on retirement and survivor’s benefits as compared to disability benefits. The rule for retirement and survivor’s benefits is that the maximum family benefit is limited to 175 percent of… Read more »

There are two main federal payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare. These taxes are known as Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes. You maybe have seen these taxes on your paystubs, but may not be sure how they are calculated or how they benefit you. Employees and employers both pay FICA taxes. Most… Read more »

We realize it may be a stretch for ordinary people to want to keep up with the comings and goings of the Social Security Administration, but sometimes circumstances permit where someone does want to follow the latest news regarding the agency due to a possible retirement or disability interest. This blog is an ongoing piecemeal… Read more »

Several plans that would increase Social Security benefits have been talked about, including the Social Security 2100 Act, which is currently making the rounds in Congress. Although many people believe Social Security should be increased for the poor and middle class, they also don’t believe the rich need any extra help. In an opinion piece… Read more »

We have previously mentioned some of the changes you will see to Social Security benefits in 2020, like the 1.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), but there are a slew of other changes we will see next year that are worth noting. Below is a description of some of the changes we will see in 2020…. Read more »

A recent story published by CNBC uncovered the fact that younger generations, including Millennials, are not counting on Social Security for a lot of help in their retirement and plan to rely more on their personal savings rather that Social Security. This is a good thing because Social Security is never going to makeup close… Read more »

John Owens, the associate commissioner for the Office of Disability Determinations, recently provided updates for a number of initiatives at the national training conference for the National Association of Disability Examiners. Disability Determination is responsible for issuing disability decisions at the lower levels of the Social Security disability process. Below are some of the topics… Read more »