Public Benefits

The Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act would raise payments to the federal poverty level and adjust income and asset constraints that are denying benefits to legions of people with disabilities and low-income senior citizens.

The Social Security Administration barred the public from its offices when the Covid-19 pandemic erupted last year. Now people can apply for a brief visit in person — subject to the approval of local SSA officials.

Thousands of SSI recipients have been falsely accused to owning real estate because of the Social Security Administration’s reliance on a private database that is “riddled with errors,” according to a new report.

Although it took more than a year of back and forth, a comprehensive health care reform bill and an associated reconciliation bill finally passed both houses of Congress. We have highlighted some of the most important features of health care...

Special Needs 101

Even before the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) expanded Medicaid access for hundreds of thousands of people, a little-known program called Medicaid Buy-In allowed people with disabilities who work to qualify for Medicaid benefits even though their incomes...

Special Needs 101

The PASS program allows SSI beneficiaries to use their non-SSI income to pay for job training or to start a business. If beneficiaries follow the complicated rules governing the program, the Social Security Administration will not count income used for...

Special Needs 101

In many states, full Medicaid coverage is often equal to, or even better than, many private health insurance plans, allowing SSI beneficiaries and other Medicaid recipients to effectively manage their illness or disability. However, many Medicaid recipients don't realize that...

Special Needs 101

There are so many programs and services available for people with disabilities that it can make your head spin. Fortunately, the federal government has created a Web site that collects information about a wide variety of state and federal resources...

Special Needs 101

Although the typical Social Security Disability Insurance recipient has worked for a fairly long time before the onset of his disabling condition, an adult who became disabled before turning 22 can also qualify for SSDI if she has a parent...

Special Needs 101