Public Benefits

A final achievement in a short but remarkable life was a contribution to improving housing conditions for those with special needs.

An amendment to health care reform legislation would offer people with special needs greater access to in-home attendant services.

After a successful effort by the 14-year-old brother of a girl with intellectual disabilities to remove the word "retarded" from Maryland law, US Senator Barbara Mikulski has proposed a bill that would do the same thing in all federal programs.

When a person with special needs can’t make important financial decisions, due to their disability or age, the government sends their benefits directly to a third party, known as a representative payee.

A case illustrates the elaborate lengths some disability applicants must go through in order to obtain benefits that are rightfully theirs, and it also is a reminder of a dilemma many beneficiaries face once they receive their awards.

A proposal to establish a new national long-term care insurance program for those with disabilities is under attack by the insurance industry.

Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mike Johanns (R-NE) recently introduced legislation that would greatly expand affordable housing options under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 811 program for people with disabilities.

In certain circumstances the Social Security Administration will fast-track a disability benefits application through a process known as Compassionate Allowances, usually because the applicant is suffering from a severe disability that may be life-threatening.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who established the Special Olympics in 1968, passed away on August 11th.