Five Ways Social Security Serves Our Veterans
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
On Veterans Day, we honor the men and women who proudly serve our country. Social Security is committed to helping our veterans. One of our priorities is to constantly improve the quality of service we provide to them and their families.
Here are five Social Security benefits every veteran should know about:
- Disability Services —The effects of military service can be profound and lasting. Social Security pays disability benefits to veterans through the Social Security disability insurance and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. Our disability insurance program pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you’ve worked long enough and paid enough Social Security taxes to qualify.
- Accelerated processing for some Veteran claims —Veterans who have a VA compensation rating of 100 percent permanent and total (P&T) have the opportunity to receive expedited processing of applications for Social Security disability benefits.
- Help integrating back into the workforce — Our online guide, Journey to Success: Employment Tools for Veterans with Disabilities, highlights resources, such as career counseling, job training, employment services, and other ways that we help disabled veterans return to work.
- Career opportunities for Veterans — We offer several career options in diverse fields for our heroes as well as preference in hiring. You can learn more about how Social Security helps secure today and tomorrow for our veterans and their families on our veterans page.
- Benefits for WWII Veterans — Special benefits can be paid to some World War II veterans who served in the active United States military from September 16, 1940, through July 24, 1947. This includes Filipino veterans who served in the organized military of the Philippines from July 26, 1941, through December 30, 1946.
Acting Commissioner Nancy A. Berryhill said it best: “We honor and thank the brave men and women who served in our nation’s armed forces.” Let us always remember their courage and sacrifice.
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Tags: Disability, SSI, veterans
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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William J.
What about special benefits for Vietnam veterans?I am a 90% disabled vet for Post Traumatic Stress.
Jerry S.
If you have 90% you get unemployable and that will put you to 100% va just get a va consul at a vfw to fill for it.
Don B.
SSA really taking care of Vets?
What about the Government Pension Offset??
How does that HELP us??
carols
Hi Don,
Please research and support HR 1205, The Social Security Fairness Act of 2017. This bill will eliminate the Gov Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The GPO, the WEP, and the taxation of SS (Social Security) retirement benefits implement a “means test” for receiving SS retirement benefits. Another words, they are meant to reduce or deny benefits because “YOU DON’T NEED THE MONEY!” This is not the purpose of SS retirement benefits. SS retirement benefits are an “earned benefit”, not entitlement (welfare) program benefits. Regardless of other income, we should receive the scheduled SS benefits we paid for just like all other wage earners. By-the-way, a spouse who receives trust fund money and did not work will receive spousal benefits, but not
all working spouses. 81% of the victims of GPO and WEP are women!
Thank you for raising the question.
Ummm
Ummm I agree that ssi is not a welfare program at least in the classic sense. It’s an insurance policy for society to help you not be a burden to society hence the name
Social security as such means testing is not unreasonable.nor is lifting the cap on who contributes, and certainly not to be used to balance the budget
stephan w.
I just get tired that the passwords that I had you guys keeps telling me its the wrong I only use two and both are wrong so I don’t know what you have so have a great holidays I guess I don’t need anything.
AKA
Maybe you are on caps lock.
David i.
I was told not eligible for disability because I did not work my last ten years under SS.
AKA
Generally that is correct, you have to work 5 of the last 10 years before the onset of your disability. Payments are meant to replace lost income. Nothing is lost if you weren’t working anyway or at least 1/2 the time.
drbsr
I wish someone would be an advocate for changing the following:
(1) Regular Social Security Retirement benefits currently being offset to pay student loan debt that was not able to be repaid 25-30 years ago while serving in the military; and
(2) Including of military retirement income in calculating the federal income tax on Social Security Retirement benefits.
Please comment if anyone agrees there is room for improvement in dealing with veteran issues.
Carmen L.
I agree with you about our SSI being taxed when we get it from disability. We have already paid taxes on this money once, why do we have to pay twice? That is so unfair to the American people. It’s hard enough to make the small amount of money work for you. If my money was not taxed it would surely help me to buy meds, buy food and take care of myself a little better. Everyone that agrees with us, please write your opinion and just maybe one day soon it will help
AKA
SSI is not taxed. No taxes are collected on any WELFARE payment.
Steven C.
I am taxed on my SDI. I DO NOT receive SSI since I’m 100% disabled thru the VA.
Social Security is NOT welfare. I paid into it my entire life. It is an entitlement for those of us that have contributed. Those that have no, should not receive Social Security.
AKA
I agree that anyone who is a deadbeat and fails to repay their debts to the government should have their Social Security reduced until the debt is paid. Being a veteran should not excuse you and I’m a veteran.
Bret M.
Having worked @ VA hospital, Wash D.C. overnites in ER for 6 months, awarded honors for best “escort”, wherein I did a lot more than escorts normally do because of the kind of skeleton staff @ nite, & having worked in a nursing home for a while, including the VA nursing home, I can say without doubt that at least at the D.C. hospital, you’ll be better off waiting to be seen in a doctor’s office that accepts Medicaid patients. Unless you & other Vets that have never served in combat advocate for the privatization of care for them, all the VA ever does is violate theirs & I guess other standards of care by cutting corners..Trying to tweak & thereby misrecord medical records, thinking they are going to help you get more bennies. They LIE, in other words. You’ll lose more than your integrity.
Hospitals &.
Health and Welfare 11-1/2th ed. HA-9-11-17 http://www.title24uscode.org/hw.html
Is Commissioner Nancy Berryhill too obese for public office, not having self-determinately paid the required 2.7% – 3.0% COLA CY 18, according to US military weight for height and sex guidelines? Does her obesity pose an obstruction of congress, insofar that she is not physically capable to be of sound mind, to agree or disagree with the Actuary, as disputed by HA? The answer is that unless the non-violent, but possibly judicially obsessed, obese commissioner adjusts the 2018 COLA to 2.7% from 2.0% she will owe 3.7% COLA arrears to achieve $777 CY 19 SSI. The ultimate calculus of the arteries in question, is that in CY 2019, when the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 expires, the DI tax rate must be amended to 2.0% with $240 billion settlement or 2.1% in Sec. 201(b)(1)(T) of the Social Security Act under 42USC§401(b)(1)(T) from 1.8% or the DI deficiency shall obstruct COLA? The 1.8% DI tax rate was unlawfully published without a split ticket and is immediately insufficient to prevent depletion of the trust fund beginning CY 19 when the imperfect tax rates of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 expire. Robbing beneficiaries, whose expenditures grow at the unsettled rate of 4%, is an even more heinous crime, by more than 1.5% COLA, than robbing the United Nations 2.5% growth. Although deprivation of relief benefits is settled through the same method of arrears, it is not always possible to afford to fully correct the situation so that it would be as if the crime, obesity of congress, had never occurred.
To end poverty by 2020
A BILL
(a) To amend the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour 2009-2017 to ‘$7.50 in 2018 and 3% more every year thereafter.’ under 29USC§206(a)(1)(D).
(b) To provide 14 weeks of (unemployment compensation) paid Maternity Protection under ILO Convention 183 (2000).
(c) To amend the 1.8% DI tax rate starting January 1, 2019 in Sec. 201(b)(1)(T) of the Social Security Act under 42USC§401(b)(1)(T) to either (c-1) 2.1% DI tax, or (c-2) 2.0% DI tax if OASI pays $240 billion including 2.5% interest in assets for CY09-CY15 to replicate to the extent possible revenue that would have been received if the OASDI tax had been properly adjusted by Public Law 112-96.
(d) To replace the Adjustment of the contribution and benefit base under Section 230 of the Social Security Act 42USC§430 with ‘There is created in the Treasury a Supplemental Security Income Trust Fund.’ (d-1) To tax the rich the full 12.4% Old Age Survivor and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Federal Income Contribution Act (FICA) on all their income to pay 16-24 million children growing up poor SSI benefits CY18 and end poverty by 2020.
(e) To end benefit attrition with a 3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) rule every year inflation continues to run about 2.7% and the Trust Fund Ratio is greater than 20% under Sec. 215(i) of the Social Security Act 42USC§415(i). To make an exception to the rule to pay $777 mo. SSI a 5.7% COLA is needed from CY17, a 2.7% COLA CY18 followed by 3% COLA to $777 SSI CY19 and 3% COLA every year thereafter.
Be it enacted in the House and Senate Assembled
AKA
I highly recommend that you be put on the registry to prevent you from buying a gun. Some people are nuts, but you take the cake.
brian w.
its all recorded I spent time in hospital for strep throat and 103.5F fever at fort dix nj in jan 1959.Every Dr since then told me my advanced kidney disease stems from that but VA weasels out of paying compensation *
So dont bring VA into your discussions
* they know I am almost 83 so they stall until I die
AKA
So the folks at Ft. Dix gave you strep throat eh? So everyone who comes down with some malady while on active duty should be compensated even if there is no service connection?
Gadema Q.
TO HELP THE VETERANS, LET US DEPLOYED -COMPULINE INTERNATIONAL, INC.’S PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR GSA -ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS, AND THE VA791-16-R-0086 FOR VA COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES, NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE contracts
Gadema Quoquoi
President & CEO
COMPULINE INTERNATIONAL, INC. PA
AKA
WTF are you talking about??
Gerald S.
What about Vietnam Veterans?
brian w.
what about them? you dont expect decency frm federal govt do you?
AKA
What about them? They can receive the same thing mentioned in the article.
Phil G.
I have served in the Vietnam comflix. I have been retired from the US Postal Service and had to retire in 2005 due to my disabilities. I have arthritis of the legs and back and can hardly walk. I collect a mall SS Check monthly of $226.00 and a pension check from the Civil Service. I paid in SS for over 20 some years. I have been unable to collect disability. What can I do about this. I served in the US Army for over 2 years. Am I eligible for disability. I have a bad back and my legs have arthritis through them that I have to use a cane to walk. I cannot sleep at night and can hardly walk. I had a kidney operation last year and a heart operation in 2004. A five bypass and a aortic valve. Am I entitled to disability. Who would I contact and would they be able to help me
Thanking You
Phil Gitterman
kevin H.
dear Fellow Veteran! Thank you for your Service and your part of your life to serve this Great Nation!
Please do not seek any compensation from the VA directly
Please take all of your medical records (past and present to a
Veterans Organization( example: DAV- disabled american Veterans)
you do not have to be a member to get their assistance!
or the American Legion/ VFW/ Fleet Reserve Association) I do not know if your have to be a member to recieve their assistance!
Respectfully
kjhue2007@yahoo.com
Nabil A.
I need some money to help me with my family to improve our living in Jordan.
Nabil Abdel Aziz Sider
P.O.Box 142848
Amman Jordan 11814.
brian w.
good luck
AKA
Go see the folks at the Red Cresent.
John S.
Just let them know how much…..no problem !!!!