How Does Social Security Decide Disability for a Child?

April 27, 2010
children's SSI

Deciding whether a child is disabled is very different than it is for disabled adults. With adults, we have to prove that they cannot work. Children, on the other hand, are compared to other children their age to determine how limited they are by their medical conditions. The three things Social Security looks at are: [...]

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How Much is SSDI Increased Every Year?

April 20, 2010
COLA, increase

SSDI is increased each year according to the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for that year. Social Security law states that benefits will increase automatically each year if there is an increase in inflation. (In general, the COLA is equal to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. If there is no increase in the Consumer [...]

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What Is the Five-step Process That Social Security Uses to Decide Disability Claims? (Part 1: SGA)

April 13, 2010

Social Security uses what it calls a “sequential five-step process” to decide disability claims. As you work your way through the steps, if you do not meet the requirement of a step, Social Security can deny you. We will discuss each step in a separate post. Please keep in mind that alot of the terms used by Social [...]

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I Have Applied for Both SSDI and SSI Benefits, How Will My Benefits Be Calculated?

April 8, 2010
Calculation of past-due Social Security benefits

If you have applied for both SSDI and SSI benefits, and get approved by Social Security, you will probably wait longer to get your past-due benefits than someone who is getting only SSDI or only SSI. Here are some things to keep in mind while SSA calculates your past-due benefits: Both programs will calculate the [...]

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All Income You Receive Will Affect Your SSI Benefits

March 19, 2010
SSI benefits are affected by your wages.

One of the primary differences between Social Security disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is that SSI is needs-based. This means that any increase in your income, temporary or not, can reduce the amount of money that you will receive from Social Security. What types of income can reduce my benefits? Any wages you earn, Any self-employment income, Other [...]

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