When to report your income
New and changing incomes should be reported as soon as possible, and no later than the 10th day of the month following the change.
For example, if work begins on April 3rd, it should be reported no later than May 10th.
More information can be found here.
Social Security supports the Americans with Disabilities Act
According to the Social Security Administration, there are five ways Social Security supports the ADA:
First, it provides Financial and medical benefits to ensure a “higher quality of life” for those who cannot work.
Second, it provides “cash assistance” to people with disabilities or blindness with limited income.
Third, it supports children with developmental and behavioral disabilities monetarily.
Fourth, the Ticket to Work program aids in career development to help people with disabilities work towards financial independence.
Finally, ABLE accounts allow eligible individuals to save up to $100,000 without losing their benefits.
SSI benefits for children with autism
Eligible parents that have children with autism could be able to receive some type of financial assistance.
According to the Social Security Administration, a child is considered disabled if they are under the age of 18 and have a medically determined physical or mental impairment.
This includes an emotional or learning problem that:
- Results marked severe functional limitations
- Can be expected to result in death
- Has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of over 12 months
What are ‘Compassionate Allowances’?
Compassionate Allowances quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits.
These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a variety of rare disorders affecting children.
The CAL initiative reduces waiting time to reach a disability determination for those with serious disabilities.
The Compassionate Allowances program identifies claims where the applicant’s disease or condition clearly meets Social Security’s statutory standard for disability.
Same-sex couple benefits
According to the SSA, they “recognize same-sex couples’ marriages in all states and certain non-marital legal relationships.”
Individuals in same-sex marriages are entitled to the same benefits as those in different-sex relationships, including retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
Children and step-children of couples are entitled to benefits as well.
If couples are already receiving benefits, it is important to notify the administration of any major life changes, including marriage, divorce, separation, and parenthood.
The SSA has its own page for same-sex couples.
1975 COLA provision
In 1975, Congress adopted a COLA provision that provided automatic yearly COLAs based on the annual increase in the CPI-W.
Prior to 1975, Congress enacted special legislation to boost Social Security payouts.
COLAs in 1975 were calculated using the rise in the CPI-W from the second to the first quarter of 1974.
They were based on increases in the CPI-W from the previous year’s first quarter to the current year’s first quarter from 1976 to 1983; since then, COLAs have been based on the CPI-W from the previous year’s third quarter to the current year’s third quarter.
