Guest Bloggers
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: What We Have Learned
Reading Time: 2 Minutes
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on June 15 raises awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. This is more important than ever as cases of elder abuse have increased significantly during the pandemic. Abuser tactics—isolation, manipulation, and systemic barriers (such as ageism and racism)—put older adults at […]
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SSI Helps Our Most Vulnerable
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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Social Security to limit in-person appointments to critical situations only. This led to a sharp decrease in the number of people applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. SSI provides monthly payments to people with low income and few resources who can no longer work due to age or disability. […]
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Homelessness and Social Security
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are lifelines for people experiencing homelessness. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2020 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report notes roughly 580,000 people are currently without a home and the National Alliance to End Homelessness found about 25-30 percent have severe physical and mental disabilities. […]
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Supplemental Security Income for Children with Disabilities
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During our careers, we’ve helped many people receive Social Security. We know the positive effects of receiving these crucial benefit payments. We’ve seen how Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments can help keep children and teenagers with disabilities out of poverty. Many eligible children under age 18 continue to benefit from SSI’s monthly payment, which can […]
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SSI is Critical for Children with Developmental and Behavioral Disabilities
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Social Security has a disability program called Supplemental Security Income (SSI) that can provide monthly income support for lower-income families who care for children with developmental and behavioral disabilities, as well as physical impairments. Children with developmental disabilities like autism and intellectual disability, as well as other behavioral health impairments like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, […]
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How the Saver’s Credit Can Help You Save for Retirement
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Saving for retirement can be difficult in the best of times, but even harder during a pandemic and challenging economy. An underutilized tax credit, known as the Saver’s Credit, may be able to make it easier. In a nutshell, the Saver’s Credit is a tax credit that is intended to promote retirement savings among people […]
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Three Retirement Planning Tips For Women
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One day in 1939, Ida May Fuller stopped by the local Social Security office in her hometown of Rutland, Vermont, and said, “I knew I’d been paying into Social Security and I wanted to learn more.” The following year, she received the very first Social Security benefit payment—$22.54—and it arrived as check number 00-000-001. Ida’s […]
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Direct Deposit: A Fast, Convenient, and Secure Way to Receive Your Benefit Payments
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At Social Security and Veterans Affairs, issuing timely benefit payments is a core service we both provide. After all, we know you want your benefits on time to cover your household or medical expenses. The most secure way to get your benefits is to receive them electronically. It’s faster, safer, and more convenient than a […]
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ABLE Act: What You Need to Know
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On December 19, 2020, we celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Stephen Beck, Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which allows eligible people with disabilities to create tax-free savings and investment accounts. On November 19, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service released final ABLE regulations. The ABLE Act enables people with disabilities to have […]
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Get All Your Federal Benefit Payments in One Account Using Direct Payment
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Direct deposit is the safest and most convenient way to receive your benefit payment. In 2013, the Department of the Treasury issued a mandate to move away from checks as a method to deliver federal benefit payments. Since then, almost 99 percent of our Social Security beneficiaries have their payments deposited directly into their bank […]
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