Chris's blog

In today’s divisive political scene, there doesn’t seem to be much agreement from opposite sides of halls of Congress. One thing that most representatives of both political parties can agree on, however, is that we need to speed up the disability process for disabled veterans and service members.

Since yesterday February 14 was National Donor Day, now would be a good time to talk about different transplants that qualify for disability. Millions of people worldwide are waiting for a very important gift – the gift of life. Serious diseases and illnesses can cause so much damage to vital organs in the body that the only hope is for a transplant from an organ donor.

If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits and are supporting a family, your family members could be eligible for an additional benefit payment on top of the amount that you receive. These are called auxiliary benefits, and the Social Security Administration (SSA) has provided specific criteria that must be met in order for a spouse or child to be able to receive these. Note that auxiliary benefits only apply to family members of those who are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI), and not Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

A study recently conducted by the Obama administration reflected that many unemployed Americans apply for Social Security disability benefits around the time that their unemployment benefits are set to expire. These findings were based on interviews with a number of unemployed workers, and provide some insight into both the struggles that unemployed, low-income Americans face, as well as the growing burden placed on the Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers the Social Security disability programs.

Last week the state of Vermont was officially sued by Disability Rights Vermont and the Community of Vermont Elders, two advocacy groups for elderly and disabled residents in the state. The main allegation is against the state’s Adult Protective Services program which they claim has failed to improve its backlog of unassigned cases and respond in a timely manner to valid concerns of abuse and neglect against those suffering from severe disabling conditions.

In the past, Social Security beneficiaries had the option to receive a monthly benefit check in the mail. In the near future, that option will no longer be available and anyone who gets Social Security of any kind, including disability benefits, will receive their benefit payments electronically.

The Social Security Administration’s Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) is a program intended to help people with disabilities return to work while still receiving disability benefits through the need-based Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Your SSI is based on your overall income and resources, but the PASS program allows you to set aside money and other items of value, redirecting those funds and resources to achieve a work-related goal without losing or reducing your disability benefits.