SSI and SSDI

I know that a special needs trust cannot pay for food or shelter for an SSI beneficiary without affecting her benefits.  But what about paying for food or shelter for an SSDI beneficiary?...

If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, receiving gifts can disqualify you from benefits gift the money. Immediately giving the money to another family member doesn’t avoid the problem.

Because of their disability, a person receiving SSI may not have worked long enough to qualify for SSDI benefits, but may begin receiving SSDI benefits if a parent retires, becomes disabled, or passes away.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently issued an Emergency Message to all personnel requiring workers to specifically inform Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants or beneficiaries of the reasons a special needs trust has been rejected by the agency.

The Earned Income Tax Credit gives people with disabilities an incentive to file a tax return even if they are not required to do so. ...

When an SSI beneficiary finds out that they will receive an inheritance, their first reaction may be to refuse it. But this refusal, also known as a "disclaimer," might worsen things for the beneficiary.

Here are a couple of tricks for determining the type of disability benefit someone is receiving, short of finding the disability award letter or contacting the Social Security Administration directly.

The budget deal signed by President Obama increases funding for the Social Security disability trust fund but also makes several small but important changes to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.

There are many benefits to having a special needs trust that go far beyond the ability to maintain eligibility for SSI or Medicaid.  For example, although Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) does not have asset or income requirements, this does not mean...