Public Benefits

Congress has temporarily extended the federal government’s largest grant program that helps states transfer people with disabilities from institutions into independent living arrangements.

This year's cost-of-living increase for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance recipients is just 1.6 percent, a sharp drop from last year's 2.8 percent increase. ...

While crowdfunding through such outlets as GoFundMe or Kickstarter can be a quick and effective way of raising money for a person with specials needs, it could also have a negative impact on the beneficiary’s access to government benefits.

Advocates are warning that a little-noticed proposed rule change could result in hundreds of thousands of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, many of them children, losing benefits.

If an ABLE account has been set up for a person with special needs, what happens to the account if the beneficiary no longer qualifies as “disabled” according to IRS regulations due to medical improvement or inaccurate diagnosis?...

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office calls for better oversight of organizations that handle the Social Security benefits of recipients who cannot manage their own benefits and lack a family member or friend to do so.  ...

Due to recent tax law changes, families with special needs children may be thinking about rolling existing 529 funds into ABLE accounts. But before you do, make sure you understand how these two accounts work and how they differ.

Many people are getting ready to make gifts to family members, but gifts of cash or certain types of gift cards can compromise the eligibility for government benefits of a family member with special needs.

The amount of money that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients can have without losing benefits has been frozen at $2,000 since 1989.  New legislation would increase that limit and make other changes. ...