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 »
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8 Million People Now Trying To Survive On SSI
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently took a deep look at the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, examining how effective it is and suggested ways to improve the program for the 8.1 million Americans who try to survive off it. About 86 percent of all SSI beneficiaries are disabled, the rest are elderly,… Read more »
2020 Social Security Fact Sheet
We have reported in previous blog posts that the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment in 2020 will be 1.6 percent. Everyone receiving Social Security retirement, disability or survivor’s benefits will see this increase in their benefits in 2020, as will people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, but there are other changes also coming in… Read more »
GAO Makes Recommendations To Improve Representative Payee Program
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) provided a list of recommendations to Social Security in an effort to improve Social Security’s Representative Payee program. Social Security utilizes the payee program when disabled and vulnerable beneficiaries are unable to manage their own benefits. Many times Social Security allows a relative or friend to manage a beneficiary’s benefits,… Read more »
Maximum Social Security Amounts
No matter what type of Social Security benefit you are eligible to receive there are limits on how much your Social Security check will be. There are Social Security retirement benefits, Social Security disability benefits, Social Security survivor’s benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), all which have maximum benefit amounts. These maximum benefit amounts are… Read more »
SSA Employee Pleads Guilty In $446,000 Fraud Case
The Office of the Inspector General Issued a press release to report that a former Social Security employee has pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in his efforts to obtain unauthorized Social Security benefit payments which resulted in Social Security issuing more than $446,000 in improper payments. The California man, Martin Hernandez, 45,… Read more »
More Talk Of Increasing Social Security Benefits
It was not very long ago that if a plan to fix Social Security were offered cutting benefit was the main idea of the plan, but more plans are now coming out that not only reject the idea of cutting benefits, but offers ways to increase benefits. Multiple Democratic presidential contenders have offered plans as… Read more »
Should Social Security Get Rid Of CE Exams?
Social Security recently reported it spent more than $350 million on providing consultative medical examinations to disability claimants in fiscal year 2018. Considering the relatively low value of these types of exams, it seems like a lot of money is being wasted. Social Security disability examiners order CEs for disability claimants who claim to have… Read more »
The Latest With Social Security
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 »
Some Good Some Bad In CBO’s Estimate Of Social Security Plan
The Congressional Budget Office has released its score of the Social Security 2100 Act, a bill aimed at increasing Social Security benefits and strengthening the trust funds, and there is some good news to report from the CBO and some not so great news. According to the CBO’s analysis of the bill, enactment would do… Read more »
