Social Security Updates
Social Security announced two very important updates that impact their disability programs:
1. An overhaul of Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) overpayments;
2. Food will no longer be included as in-kind support for SSI recipients.
These updates will make it easier for SSDI and SSI recipients to keep and make the most of their benefits.
Social Security Overpayments
Until now, a notice of a Social Security overpayment often came with devastating consequences, including the 100% loss of monthly benefits and owing Social Security thousands of dollars. An overpayment notice is sent when Social Security determines that a person wrongly received benefit payments. This can happen for many reasons, including failure to report work changes, earning too much while working, or other changes that impact benefits.
Social Security has implemented four important changes to how they will process SSDI and SSI overpayments moving forward:
1. Social Security will now withhold 10% of monthly benefits instead of 100%;
2. Proof of fault of the overpayment will switch from the benefit recipient (claimant) to Social Security;
3. Repayment plan lengths will extend from 3 years to 5 years; and
4. It will now be much easier for benefit recipients to request a waiver of repayment.
You can read the full press release here.
SSI and Food Assistance
HD individuals receiving SSI payments, and any disabled individual receiving SSI payments, will not have their benefits reduced because of food assistance. This includes food received from friends, family, and community networks, like food banks and other community food programs. Social Security recognizes that “disabled individuals are more likely to become food insecure, and this policy change will remove critical barriers to receiving informal food assistance…”
Social Security will continue to consider shelter expenses in their in-kind support calculations (i.e., rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, gas, electricity, water, sewer, and garbage collection).
You can read more information here.
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