Public Benefits

A recent National Public Radio (NPR) report on disability benefits has drawn fire from disability advocates and eight former Commissioners of the Social Security Administration for relying on anecdotal evidence and exaggeration to imply that people are abusing the Social...

On October 8, 2010, President Obama signed the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act into law. The law guarantees those with visual and hearing impairments easy access to communications technologies like the Internet and television.

Last month we discussed some initial things that every trustee of a special needs trust should do upon learning that the primary beneficiary has passed away. Now, we'll explore additional steps to consider when closing out the trust.

As part of this year's landmark healthcare reform law, the federal government is offering an insurance plan for people who have been denied private insurance due to a pre-existing medical condition. Most states will soon follow with plans of their...

When you add a special needs trust to a financial aid calculation, things can get complicated because the regulations governing federal financial aid don't do a very good job of distinguishing special needs trusts from other types of trusts.

SSDI payments, like old-age Social Security retirement benefits, can be taxed, depending on the SSDI beneficiary's other income. Because the rules governing the taxation of SSDI payments can be very confusing, we have put together a short primer to explain...

The Obama administration has suspended implementation of the CLASS Act, a proposed national long-term care insurance program . . .

The Boston Globe published a three-part special report that focused on children who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Unfortunately, the story gives the impression that children in this position make up the majority of young SSI recipients, when in...

After receiving no cost-of-living increase (COLA) for two years running, the nation's Social Security recipients, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries, will get a 3.6 percent increase in payments in 2012.