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 of recent stories that have involved Social Security. Some are tidbits and some are important things that should be known in the world of retirement or disability and others are just interesting stories and nothing more.
New HIV Listing
Social Security has revised its listing for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, better known as HIV. And, as just a reminder, Social Security’s set of listings are used in evaluating disability claims judging a condition’s severity and how it limits a person’s ability to function. The new rules involved in the HIV listing will go into effect January 17, 2017. The last time Social Security updated the HIV listing was 23 years ago in 1993.
“We are revising the listings for evaluating HIV infection to reflect our program experience and advances in medical knowledge since we last revised the listings related to HIV infection, recommendations from a commissioned report, and a number of public comments,” Social Security gave as the reasoning behind the listing changes.
Gun Control Regulations Still Alive
Despite the election victory of a very pro-gun candidate in Donald Trump, the Social Security Administration has set final rules in place to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that will require the agency provide information on claimants who have been appointed a representative payee to restrict firearms sales. A person who is appointed a representative payee is considered by Social Security to be unable to manage their own Social Security payments. Many times those who are appointed representative payees are severely impaired individuals who have already been found disabled by the Social Security Administration. The new rules would not allow for the removal of firearms already in the possession of people with representative payees, but limit access for future purchases. The clock is ticking on these new rules as there has to be a 30-day notice period after final regulations are published.
Some Quick Facts About Disability Insurance
Being that we are a disability law office we realize how important the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is to the lives of millions of Americans. Even though we realize how important the program is we sometimes forget specifics of how much people rely upon it. Consider the following facts:
- Approximately $11.9 billion worth of benefits are paid every month;
- Approximately $143 billion worth of benefits are paid every year;
- More than 8.8 million disabled workers receive benefits;
- More than 136,000 spouses of disabled workers receive benefits;
- More than 1.6 billion children receive benefits;
- Average monthly benefit for disabled workers is $1,167;
- Average monthly benefit for spouses is $323;
- Average monthly benefit for children is $352.
