Disability, Online Services, Retirement, SSI

Black History Month and Social Security

February 9, 2023 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: November 2, 2023

A family photoFebruary is National Black History Month. This year’s theme, “Black Resistance,” focuses on Black Americans’ efforts to advocate for dignified, self-determined lives within our democratic society, while bringing attention to their achievements.

Social Security is here to help you live freely and with dignity. Our retirement, survivors, and disability programs help millions plan for their futures and stay out of poverty.

You can start planning for retirement today with a personal my Social Security account. Use your free account to see how much you might receive each month based on the age you want to start receiving retirement benefits. Additionally, we have a number of calculators to help you estimate your retirement payments.

We also pay disability benefits to people with medical conditions that could prevent them from working for 12 or more months or result in death. If a person with a disability has dependent family members, they may also be eligible to receive payments. We pay disability through two programs:

  • The Social Security Disability Insurance program—for people who have worked and paid Social Security taxes long enough to be eligible.
  • The Supplemental Security Income program—which is a means-tested program for people who are 65 or older, as well as people of any age, including children, who are blind or have disabilities.

Surviving spouses and their dependent children may be eligible for survivors benefits, which help provide income to the families of deceased workers. In fact, 98 of every 100 children could get benefits if a working parent dies. We pay more benefits to children than any other federal program.

You can learn more about retirement, survivors, and disability benefits on our website. We’re with you through life’s journey, helping secure today and tomorrow for you and your family.

Please share this with your loved ones—and post it on social media.

Did you find this Information helpful?

Yes
No
Thanks for your feedback!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

See Comments

About the Author

Comments

  1. William S.

    Black History Month?!?!?!?! WTF

    This a great way to divide our country. Thank you, Demorats

  2. Donald J.

    When is White History Month…. Asking for a friend….

  3. Tony

    Did you know the SSA discriminates against disabled Black Americans?

    The federal government doesn’t allow discrimination in federal programs based sole on an individual’s disability.

    Under federal law 42 U.S.C. 405(j)(1)(B), the individual must also have a alcoholism or drug addiction condition in order to be appointed a representative payee.

    The SSA Commissioner leaves out the part of the alcoholism or drug addiction condition in his or her regulations and policies. The SSA Commissioner discriminates solely based on an individual’s disability. There is no mention of alcoholism or drug addiction condition in SSA POMS GN 00502.001 and 20 C.F.R. 404.2010.

    Social Security isn’t here to help you live freely and with dignity.

    Your freedom is restricted by the appointment of a representative payee. Your dignity is that of a child where you have to beg the representative payee for an allowance.

    • Tony

      It is crazy that the alcoholic and drug addict can freely buy alcohol and drugs while the disabled Black Americans have to beg the representative payee for money to buy food and clothing.

    • Tony

      The SSA was run by white supremacist and neo-nazis. The Jim Crow era regulations and policies are still in effect today.

    • Berta V.

      You don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve never learned anything about black history and it’s past time we did

      We’ve been learning everything about white history out whole lives..no

  4. Tony

    Businesses want Black Americans to celebrate Black History Month so Black Americans can spend money and businesses can make a profit.

    There wasn’t many parades during Martin Luther King Day. Now 30% of Super Bowl tickets are unsold. We are headed for a recession.

    If everyone can reduce their spending, then we can tip the U.S. economy into a recession earlier and everything will become cheaper.

    If you have stocks, then you better prepare for a recession. Don’t believe the CEOs of banks and businesses saying there is no recession coming. The CEOs can’t sell most of their company’s stock holdings and don’t want investors selling and causing a stock market to crash. You will go down with the ship with them if you stay in.

    After the stock market crash the housing market correction will get worse and crash along with the stock market.

    Almost everyone lived through the great recession of 2008 and knows what happened. It is coming again this year.

  5. Mark L.

    How about we quit recognizing each “group”, and instead celebrate diversity, and inclusivness, by treating EVERYONE equally!

    No “special” months, no special flags, just an ongoing committment to the basic precepts of our constitution. No more victims, no more “special consideration”, just a simple meritocracy that recognizes individual effort. What a concept!

    • Colby C.

      Excellent reply – yes, what a concept!!

    • Lisa

      Amen!

    • William S.

      Yes…. Please….

      Let’s celebrate white, brown, and yellow history month.

      Let me know when those holidays are established.

Comments are closed.