SSI and SSDI

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.

As with most things that sound too good to be true, so-called "Sole Benefit Trusts" can come with a big catch for the person with special needs.

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.

If you or a loved one has a visual impairment and receives some form of Social Security benefit (which includes SSDI and SSI), or if you have a visual impairment and serve as a representative payee for someone who receives...

In a recent report the Social Security Administration's Inspector General concludes that banks are illegally garnishing accounts that receive electronic deposits of Social Security benefits.

While there is no such thing as a "typical" divorce, a divorcing couple that has a child with special needs faces even more complicated issues than most, such as the impact of child support payments on the child's eligibility for SSI.

When retirement looms, many military families with children with special needs face a decision about whether or not to choose the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) retirement option. Receipt of SBP payments could jeopardize the child's eligibility for SSI and Medicaid.