Posts

The Arc logo

New Series Starts Off by Getting Disability Wrong

/in /by The Arc

Over the years, we’ve seen flawed, misleading reporting on Social Security’s disability programs from National Public Radio, 60 Minutes, and the New York Times. Unfortunately, with the recent launch of a new, widely-criticized series, “Disabled America,” The Washington Post has joined the ranks of news media leaving the public with false impressions about Social Security disability benefits — and even, getting the facts plain wrong.

The Post’s new series will focus on how disability “…is shaping the culture, economy and politics…” of rural communities. The first article featured Desmond Spencer of Beaverton, Alabama as he made the difficult decision to call the Social Security Administration to ask about applying for disability benefits. The article relates that Mr. Spencer acquired painful, ongoing injuries during many years working as a roofer, welder, ranch hand, and garbage collector – including falling off a roof and being unable to get treatment due to his lack of health insurance. Readers do not learn whether Mr. Spencer ever applies for benefits, and do not know if he will qualify.

The Center for American Progress (CAP) summed up the first article’s many flaws:

“…the article cherry-picks one of the counties with the highest rates of disability benefit receipt, to create a dystopian portrait where Social Security disability benefits represent out-of-control government spending riddled with rampant abuse.

Reality looks quite a bit different.”

After digging in, CAP researchers revealed that the Post’s numbers are “flat-out wrong,” including its assertion that up to one-third of working-age adults in many rural counties receive disability benefits. CAP explained in detail the errors in the Post’s analysis and why that conclusion simply cannot be substantiated. The Post issued a correction – and CAP and others quickly pointed out ongoing major problems with the Post’s data, even after the correction.

Thirty-one national disability organizations subsequently called on the Post to correct and clarify the skewed and misleading numbers that remain in the article. Numerous groups have called out a host of additional problems with the story and data. And the Huffington Post and Des Moines Gazette have reported on the article’s flaws.

With the President’s budget director signaling that cuts to Social Security disability benefits may be under consideration, it’s vital that reporters get the facts right. Here’s a round-up of analyses and responses.

The Arc logo

Nuts and Bolts of Income Tax for Individuals With Disabilities and Their Families

/in /by The Arc

By Elizabeth L. Gray, CELA, Special Needs Alliance®

As we approach tax season, it is important to understand the different tax credits, deductions, and liabilities affecting individuals with disabilities and their families. This is a complicated subject. This article provides general information. If you would like to get advice for your situation, you should consult a professional with knowledge of both taxation and special needs planning.

Claiming a Dependent

The IRS defines an individual with disabilities as someone with a permanent and total disability that results in the inability of that individual to engage in any substantial gainful activity. A qualified physician must certify that the condition has lasted or can be expected to last continuously for 12 months or more, or that the condition can be expected to result in death. Substantial gainful activity is considered the performance of significant duties over a reasonable period of time while working for pay or profit, or in work generally done for pay or profit. Full-time work (or part-time work done at the employer’s convenience) in a competitive work situation for at least the minimum wage conclusively shows that the individual is able to engage in substantial gainful activity.

You can claim an individual with disabilities as a dependent when:

  • they have lived with you for more than half of the tax year;
  • you have provided at least half of their support for the tax year; and
  • they are your child, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of these; or
  • your brother, sister, step-sibling, father, mother, grandparent or other direct ancestor of yours.
  • they are not filing a tax return of their own.

Tax Credits and Exemptions

  • Child tax credit – For each “qualifying child” who will be under the age of 17 at the end of the year, you may take up to a $1,000 credit, based on a sliding income scale.
  • Child and dependent care tax credit – This helps to defray the cost of care services needed in order for you and (if you’re married) your spouse to work. Married persons must both work, or one must work while the other is a full-time student, has a disability, or is looking for work (provided that the spouse looking for work has earnings during the year). There is no income ceiling on this credit, which can equal 20-35 percent of expenses incurred, up to $3,000 for one qualifying individual, and $6,000 for two or more qualifying individuals. People with higher incomes get a smaller credit than those with more modest incomes.
  • Earned income credit – This is available for people who work and have a child meeting the dependent qualifications previously described. The child must be under 19, a full-time student under 24, or have a permanent and total disability
  • Personal exemption for dependent – The maximum allowable for tax year 2016 is $4,050.The dependent’s gross income for the tax year must be less than $4,000. Gross income does not include income from services the person performs at a sheltered workshop.

Medical Deductions

The following deductions should be considered both by adults claiming a dependent and by individuals with disabilities who are filing for themselves. For most individuals, these medical expenses are deductible only when they exceed 10 percent of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income. Until tax year 2017, a 7.5 percent threshold applies to filers who are 65 and older. Typical examples include:

  • Unreimbursed health care expense – Must total more than 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. Remember to include travel expenses to and from medical treatments, certain insurance payments from already-taxed income (i.e., long-term care insurance), uninsured medical treatments (eyeglasses, contact lenses, false teeth, hearing aids), laser vision corrective surgery, and most medically necessary costs prescribed by a doctor. For example, if the doctor prescribes a humidifier for the home to help with chronic breathing problems, the device and the additional electricity costs to operate it, could be partially deductible. Remember to keep all receipts for any special medical needs.
  • Special schooling, training, or therapy, including medically recommended exercise programs. This includes amounts paid for meals and transportation.
  • Aides required for the dependent to benefit from his or her education.
  • Diagnostic evaluations.
  • Certain home improvements and/or modifications required as a result of your dependent’s condition.
  • Special medically recommended diets.
  • Conferences and seminars that are medically recommended and that deal specifically with the medical condition the child has, and not just general health and well-being. Unfortunately, this does not include deductions for meals and lodging incurred while attending the conference or seminar.

Considerations When Filing for Yourself

If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, those benefits are not taxable. In addition, the SSI payments do not get included in Social Security benefits.

What about regular Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits? Part of the amount received may be taxable. Generally, if the only income received during the year was Social Security or Railroad Retirement, then the amount would not be taxable. However, if an individual received income during the year in addition to Social Security or Railroad Retirement, then half of the Social Security benefits plus the other income may be taxable, depending on your filing status (individual, head of household, etc.) and the total.

If you are receiving disability benefits under a disability retirement plan that was funded by your employer, those benefits are considered earned income until you reach your minimum retirement age. However, payments received from a disability insurance policy under which you have paid the premiums are not earned income.

Other considerations include:

  • Impairment-Related Work Expenses deduction – This is for attendant care services necessary for you to maintain employment. Such services qualify as a trade or business expense. This is available only if the you have a physical or mental disability that is a functional limitation to employment or that substantially limits one or more major life activities (i.e., walking, speaking, performing manual tasks, breathing, learning, or working).
  • Elderly and disabled tax credit – Available to every U.S. citizen, who is 65 or older at any time during the tax year. Tax payers who are under 65 may claim the tax credit if they are retired on permanent and total disability under an employer’s plan, or if they receive taxable disability income during the year and do not reach mandatory retirement age by the first day of the tax year.

Special Needs Trusts and ABLE Accounts

Special needs trusts (SNTs) and ABLE accounts are two important financial planning tools that can significantly contribute to an individual’s quality of life. It is important to understand tax liability for each.

Special Needs Trusts

Income generated by a SNT is taxable and trust expenditures are eligible for deductions, but who is liable depends upon the type of trust involved:

  • A third party trust is set up by an individual for the benefit of someone else (for instance, a parent may establish a trust for a child). When the trust is revocable, meaning that the person who created it can make changes, it is considered a grantor trust and taxes are paid by the person who established it. Once the trust becomes irrevocable, it must report any taxable income or gross income of $600 or more in a given tax year. The trust may either pay the tax itself or issue a form facilitating payment by the beneficiary. Issuing the form to the beneficiary may not be a bad thing because trust tax rates are high, while the beneficiary may be in a low-income tax bracket. Given the personal exemption and, in many instances, the standard deduction, no tax payment may be due. Distributions that represent trust income become a tax liability for the beneficiary.
  • First party trusts, created with funds belonging to the beneficiary with disabilities, are automatically considered grantor trusts in most states (in some locations, it may be necessary to add appropriate language to the trust document), so the beneficiary is responsible for taxes.
  • If an SNT is structured as a qualified disability trust, it may be eligible for larger exemptions. In addition to other requirements, the trust must be irrevocable, and the beneficiary must be under 65 when the trust is created.

ABLE Accounts

As a quick reminder, ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014) accounts are modeled after the Section 529 savings accounts and enable certain individuals with disabilities to save funds without endangering their eligibility for means-tested government benefits. Contributions to an ABLE account are not tax-deductible and are made with after-tax dollars. However, ABLE account earnings grow tax-free unless distributions in a given tax year are not made for the designated beneficiary’s qualified disability expenses. Qualified disability expenses consist of a wide range of expenditures: education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services, health prevention and wellness, and more. In addition, distributions for qualified disability expenses are not considered income.

This overview is not intended as tax advice. Individuals with disabilities and their families should consult a tax professional about their specific circumstances.

The Special Needs Alliance (SNA)® is a national non-profit comprised of attorneys who assist individuals with special needs, their families, and the professionals who serve them. SNA is partnering with The Arc to provide educational resources, build public awareness, and advocate for policies on behalf of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families.

The Arc logo

Happy 80th Birthday, Social Security!

/in /by The Arc

This week, The Arc celebrates the 80th anniversary of our nation’s Social Security system.

Signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, Social Security improves our lives in so many ways. It provides basic economic security for workers and their families – including children and spouses with disabilities – when a worker retires, dies, or acquires a significant, qualifying disability. It helps people with disabilities who work to enjoy a secure retirement. And it provides access to health insurance through Medicare, enabling many people with disabilities to get the health care they need.

Social Security insures nearly all Americans, or an estimated 165 million workers. Its protections are hard to come by anywhere else: roughly 7 in 10 civilian workers have no long-term disability insurance, half have no private pension, and one in three has no savings set aside for retirement.

It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without Social Security. Benefits average just over $40 per day, but lift about 22 million Americans out of poverty. For most beneficiaries, that $40 per day is most or all of what they have to get by. Many people with disabilities tell us that even a small cut in their Social Security benefits would mean facing terrible choices, like whether to take a prescribed medication or buy groceries.

Social Security has never missed a payment since 1935. Workers pay for Social Security, and count on it being there when they and their families need it. The Arc knows how important it is to sustain Social Security’s record of success, and keep our nation’s promise to today’s workers and beneficiaries, and for generations to come.

Over the last year, The Arc has been on the front lines, defending our Social Security lifeline against shocking attacks and speaking out against harmful benefit cuts. We’re fighting to prevent a devastating 20% across-the-board cut in Social Security disability benefits at the end of 2016. And we offer many recommendations for strengthening Social Security so that the system works better for people with disabilities and stays financially strong for decades to come.

Please join us in making sure this vital system is there for people with I/DD and their families!

The Arc logo

The Arc Urges Congress to Protect Social Security Lifeline

/in /by The Arc

Washington, DC – The Arc released the following statement from Marty Ford, Senior Executive Officer, Public Policy, in response to several important developments in Washington affecting Social Security, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI):

“The Arc applauds the Senate, which yesterday listened to the voices of people with disabilities and seniors, and removed a harmful proposal from legislation to reauthorize our nation’s highways, bridges, and public transportation system. The proposal would have partially funded the bill with cuts to Social Security, SSDI, and SSI. Social Security must not become a piggybank to pay for unrelated programs, no matter how important, and beneficiaries cannot afford any cuts to these modest but vital benefits. The Arc will remain vigilant and ready to fight back if any similar proposals arise as Congress continues to debate reauthorization of surface transportation legislation.

“Earlier this week, the Social Security Trustees released their 2015 report on the current and projected financial status of our nation’s Social Security system. The Trustees continue to find that Social Security’s overall health is strong, but that if Congress fails to act before the end of 2016, nearly 11 million Americans who rely on SSDI will face a 20 percent across the board cut in benefits.

“The Arc calls on Congress to act promptly to prevent this catastrophic cut to our SSDI lifeline. A minor, commonsense financial adjustment can ensure that both of Social Security’s Trust Funds will be able to pay full scheduled benefits through 2034, without any cuts to Social Security disability, retirement, or survivors benefits. We applaud legislation introduced yesterday to do precisely that, by paying all Social Security benefits out of a single Social Security Trust Fund: the One Social Security Act of 2015, sponsored by Rep. Xavier Beccera (D-TX) with 22 original cosponsors.

“The Arc urges Congress to ensure that Social Security will be there for all Americans — including people with disabilities and their families — for generations to come, and to reject any cuts to our Social Security lifeline,” said Ford.

The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including Down syndrome, autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of more than 665 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with I/DD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.

Editor’s Note: The Arc is not an acronym; always refer to us as The Arc, not The ARC and never ARC. The Arc should be considered as a title or a phrase.

The Arc logo

SSDI: Time for Action

/in /by The Arc

A lifeline of financial security for millions of Americans with disabilities, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), is currently under attack. Congress must adjust SSDI’s finances by the end of 2016 to prevent a devastating one-fifth across-the-board cut in benefits. Writing in the Journal of Health and Social Work, The Arc’s T.J. Sutcliffe makes the case for how social workers and other professionals in the field can and should support necessary action to strengthen and preserve this vital support for people with disabilities and their families.

Sign up for The Arc’s Capitol Insider weekly updates and periodic Action Alerts to stay informed on the latest developments and take action to support the SSDI lifeline.

The Arc logo

The Arc Joins Over 70 National Organizations to Speak Out Against Attacks on Social Security, SSDI

/in /by The Arc

Social Security and its disability program are incredibly important to people with I/DD, providing modest support to make living independently a reality.  But this vital system is under attack in Washington, DC. Today, The Arc joined other major national organizations to release a letter with Senator Sherrod Brown (below) to oppose any cuts to the program.  Sign up for The Arc’s action center to stay informed and act to stop Congress from making cuts.

March 17, 2015

The Honorable Orrin Hatch

Chair, Committee on Finance

U.S. Senate

219 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

 

The Honorable Sam Johnson

Chair, Subcommittee on Social Security

Committee on Ways and Means

U.S. House of Representatives

B317 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 

The Honorable Paul Ryan

Chair, Committee on Ways and Means

U.S. House of Representatives

1102 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 The Honorable Jeff Flake

U.S. Senate

368 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

 

The Honorable Joe Manchin

U.S. Senate

306 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

 

RE:      Opposition to proposals to eliminate or reduce concurrent Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits

Dear Chairman Hatch, Chairman Johnson, Chairman Ryan, Senator Flake, and Senator Manchin:

The undersigned members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), the Coalition on Human Needs, and the Strengthen Social Security Coalition write to express our opposition to proposals to eliminate or reduce concurrent Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, including the “Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Benefits Double Dip Elimination Act of 2015” (S. 499; H.R. 918) and the “Reducing Overlapping Payments Act of 2015” (S. 343).

SSDI and UI are vital insurance systems established for different purposes. Receiving UI and SSDI concurrently is legal and appropriate. This has been the long-standing position of the Social Security Administration and of the courts. Individuals qualify for SSDI because they have significant disabilities that prevent work at or above Social Security’s Substantial Gainful Activity level (earnings of $1,090 per month, in 2015). At the same time, the Social Security Act encourages SSDI beneficiaries to attempt to work, and those who have done so at a low level of earnings but have lost their job through no fault of their own may qualify for UI. As highlighted in a 2012 Government Accountability Office report, less than one percent of individuals served by SSDI and UI receive concurrent benefits, and the average quarterly concurrent benefit in fiscal year 2010 totaled only about $3,300 (or an average of $1,100 per month).

These extremely modest benefits can be a lifeline to workers with disabilities who receive them, and their families – and as permitted by law are neither “double-dipping” nor improper payments. We are deeply concerned by any prospect of worsening the economic security of workers with disabilities and their families.

In addition, proposed cuts to concurrent benefits single out SSDI beneficiaries with disabilities, treating them differently from other workers under the UI program.

Finally, proposed cuts to concurrent benefits create new disincentives to work for SSDI beneficiaries, by penalizing individuals who qualify for both SSDI and UI because they have attempted to work, as encouraged by law. The creation of a new work disincentive runs directly counter to our shared goal of expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

For these reasons, the undersigned national organizations strongly oppose the “Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Benefits Double Dip Elimination Act of 2015” and the “Reducing Overlapping Payments Act of 2015.” We urge Congress to reject these bills and any similar legislation.

Sincerely,

9to5

ACCSES*

AFL-CIO

Alliance for Retired Americans

Alliance for Strong Families and Communities

American Council of the Blind*

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSME)

American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)*

Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)

Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs*

Association of University Centers on Disabilities*

Autism National Committee*

Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)*

B’nai B’rith International

Brain Injury Association of America*

Campaign for America’s Future

Center for Community Change Action

Center for Effective Government

Coalition on Human Needs

Community Legal Services*

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund*

Easter Seals*

Equal Rights Advocates

Every Child Matters Education Fund

Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)

Goodwill Industries International*

Health & Disability Advocates*

Justice in Aging*

Latinos for a Secure Retirement

Lupus Foundation of America*

Lutheran Services in America Disability Network*

MomsRising

NAACP

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National Alliance on Mental Illness*

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities*

National Association of Disability Representatives*

National Association of State Directors of Special Education*

National Association of State Head Injury Administrators*

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare*

National Council of Jewish Women

National Council on Aging*

National Council on Independent Living*

National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)*

National Down Syndrome Congress*

National Employment Law Project

National Employment Lawyers Association

National Industries for the Blind*

National Multiple Sclerosis Society*

National Organization for Women

National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives*

National Priorities Project

National Respite Coalition*

National Women’s Law Center

NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

OWL-The Voice of Women 40+

Paralyzed Veterans of America*

Provincial Council of the Clerics of St. Viator (Viatorians)

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition

Social Security Works

SourceAmerica*

Special Needs Alliance*

Strengthen Social Security Coalition

The Arc of the United States*

The Jewish Federations of North America*

The John O’Leary Organization

The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law*

Union for Reform Judaism

United Cerebral Palsy*

United Spinal Association*

United Steelworkers (USW)

USAction

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)*

World Institute on Disability*

 

CC:

 

Original cosponsors, S. 499

The Honorable Daniel Coats

The Honorable James M. Inhofe

The Honorable James Lankford

The Honorable Tim Scott

 

Original cosponsors, H.R. 918

The Honorable Todd C. Young

The Honorable Mike Kelly

The Honorable Patrick J. Tiberi

The Honorable Diane Black

The Honorable David G. Reichert

The Honorable Charles W. Boustany, Jr.

The Honorable Adrian Smith

The Honorable James B. Renacci

The Honorable Tom Reed

The Honorable Aaron Schock

 

Members, U.S. Senate

Members, U.S. House of Representatives

 

* Members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD).

 

The CCD is a coalition of national organizations working together to advocate for federal public policy that ensures the self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration, and inclusion of the approximately 57 million children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.

The Arc logo

House Rules for 114th Congress Set Up Attack on Social Security, SSDI

/in /by The Arc

This week, the House of Representatives adopted its rules of procedure for the 114th Congress (H. Res. 5). Stunningly, buried in this usually dry, non-controversial measure was an attack on Social Security that will put at risk Congress’s ability to prevent a 20% cut in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in 2016.

The provision, inserted by Representatives Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Tom Reed (R-NY) and approved by a vote of 234 to 168, sets up procedural hurdles to House consideration of a needed, routine replenishment of Social Security’s disability fund. Shockingly, these major changes were never considered in hearings or open to input from constituents. While these rules only affect the House – not the Senate – they set a dangerous tone for how the 114th Congress may deal with Social Security and SSDI.

Here are three facts about this week’s House action that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and friends need to know:

1. Congress needs to act by 2016 to prevent 20% across-the-board cuts in SSDI benefits.

Congress from time to time needs to adjust Social Security’s finances to account for population and economic shifts. The need to replenish the DI fund in 2016 to account for current trends, such as an older workforce now in its disability-prone years, has been expected for several decades. Without Congressional action, in 2016 the DI fund’s reserves will be depleted, leaving only incoming payroll contributions to pay for benefits. As a result, unless Congress acts, SSDI beneficiaries will face benefit cuts of 20% at the end of 2016.

2. “Reallocation” is the common-sense, traditional solution.

Over the last 5 decades, Congress has repeatedly, on a bipartisan basis, used a simple, common-sense solution to address shortfalls in either of Social Security’s two funds (the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance or OASI fund, and the Disability Insurance or DI fund). A temporary shift to direct more Social Security revenues to the DI fund – called “reallocation” — will extend the solvency of the DI fund for almost two decades. Congress has made similar shifts 11 times in the past, about equally increasing the percentage going into one fund or the other. Reallocation does not require any new taxes. Additionally, the solvency of the overall Social Security system stays the same, with the combined funds remaining fully solvent through 2033.

3. The House action creates roadblocks to strengthening Social Security, include SSDI.

The House rules of procedure govern how the House operates. The provision adopted in the House rules for the 114th Congress bars the House from reallocating to the DI fund. Procedurally, the House can in the future vote to waive this requirement – meaning that a reallocation could move forward, but only if the rule is waived. But the insertion of this provision into the House rules will create serious roadblocks to reallocation – and to Congress’s ability to keep Social Security’s promise to the more than 165 million hardworking Americans who contribute to Social Security and the nearly 11 million Americans who currently receive SSDI.

The Arc logo

Social Security Announces 2015 Cost of Living Increase for Beneficiaries

/in /by The Arc

Today the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced a 1.7 percent cost-of-living increase for 2015. This modest increase will help preserve the buying power of Social Security benefits for nearly 64 million Americans, including many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receive benefits under our nation’s Social Security system.

According to SSA, the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit will increase by $22, from $1,306 in 2014 to $1,328 in 2013. The average monthly benefit for a Social Security “disabled worker” beneficiary will increase by $19, from $1,146 in 2014 to $1,165 in 2015.

Higher Medicare premiums will offset some of this increase. Changes in Medicare premiums for 2015 are available at Medicare.gov.

Additionally, SSA today announced increases in important thresholds for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), including:

  • Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level – The SGA for SSDI and SSI will increase from $1,070 per month to $1,090 per month for non-blind beneficiaries, and from $1,800 per month to $1,820 per month for blind beneficiaries.
  • Trial Work Period (TWP) – The TWP for SSDI will increase from $770 per month to $780 per month.
  • SSI Federal Payment Standard – The SSI federal payment standard will increase for an individual from $721 per month to $733 per month, and for a couple from $1,082 per month to $1,100 per month.
  • SSI Student Earned Income Exclusion – The SSI student earned income exclusion monthly limit will increase from $1,750 to $1,780, and the exclusion’s annual limit will increase from $7,060 to $7,180.

Annual cost-of-living adjustments ensure that Social Security beneficiaries do not see their buying power eroded by inflation. SSDI and SSI benefits are modest, averaging only about $1,145 per month for SSDI beneficiaries in the “disabled worker” category and $535 per month for SSI beneficiaries. Every penny and every dollar counts for people who rely on these benefits to get by.

The Arc strongly supports ensuring adequate benefit levels, and has joined other national organizations to oppose proposals to reduce these much-needed annual cost-of living increases. Subscribe to The Arc’s Capitol Insider for updates to learn how you can help make sure that Social Security, SSI, and other vital supports are there for people with I/DD.

The Arc logo

Social Security Trustees Release 2014 Report

/in /by The Arc

The Social Security Trustees have released their annual report on the current and projected financial status of the Social Security trust funds. Similar to 2013, the 2014 findings show that Social Security is fully solvent until 2033, but faces a moderate long-term shortfall. In 2013, Social Security took in roughly $32 billion more than it paid out. Its reserves were $2.76 trillion in 2013, and are projected to grow to $2.9 trillion at the beginning of 2020. If Congress does not act before 2033, the reserves would be drawn down, and revenue coming into the Trust Funds would cover about 77 percent of scheduled benefits. The 2014 Trustees Report also continues to project that the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund by itself can pay all scheduled benefits until 2016. If Congress takes no action before 2016, the Trustees project that the DI trust fund will be able to pay about 81 percent of scheduled benefits.

As noted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and the National Academy of Social Insurance, the long-term growth in DI has been predicted since the mid-1990s and is largely due to demographic factors. The U.S. population and the number of workers insured for DI (particularly, women) have grown over the last several decades, and the baby boomers are now in their high disability years.

Traditionally, Congress has reallocated payroll tax revenues between the OASI and DI trust funds to address projected shortfalls. According to the Social Security Chief Actuary as summarized by the CBPP, a modest reallocation of the total OASDI payroll tax, enacted prior to 2016, would allow both programs to pay full scheduled benefits through 2033 — their current combined depletion date. After that, modest increases in revenue can ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security system for generations to come.

The Arc strongly supports these types of adjustments to ensure the short- and long-term solvency of the trust funds, so that Social Security can remain a lifeline for people with disabilities and their families for generations.

The Arc logo

Statement of Consortium for Citizens With Disabilities Social Security Task Force Regarding Recent New York City Disability Fraud Allegations

/in /by The Arc

Approximately 100 former police officers, firefighters and others were indicted this week in New York City for allegedly fraudulently obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits. The allegations are extremely troubling, and if true, these individuals’ actions are nothing short of deplorable.

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Social Security Task Force condemns any misuse of the Social Security disability programs. Any individual who seeks to abuse vital programs like Social Security does so at the expense of the millions of disabled workers for whom benefits provide essential economic security — and must be brought to justice.

At the same time, we must take care not to paint Social Security’s disability programs with the brush of the few who aim to defraud it, without putting them in the context of the millions of individuals who receive benefits appropriately and for whom Social Security is a vital lifeline.

Social Security’s disability programs are a core component of our nation’s Social Security system, which keeps millions of hardworking Americans and their families out of poverty. Extremely strict eligibility requirements mean that fewer than four in ten applicants are approved for disability benefits, even after all stages of appeal. Demonstrating eligibility requires extensive medical evidence, and many individuals are denied benefits despite significant disabilities and chronic illnesses. Benefits are modest but vital – averaging just over $500 per month for Supplemental Security Income and approximately $1,130 per month for Social Security Disability Insurance. For many, disability benefits make it possible to secure stable housing and purchase food, life-sustaining medications, and other basic necessities. Disability benefits can be the difference between life and death for many Americans.

The Social Security Administration works hard to ensure program integrity, but it requires adequate resources to do so. It has been deprived of adequate administrative resources to conduct necessary program integrity work for several years. Congress holds the purse strings to enable the Social Security Administration to ensure that benefits are paid to the right person, in the right amount, and at the right time— and to implement the array of critical safeguards that exist in current law.

We encourage anyone who suspects abuse of the Social Security disability programs to report it via Social Security’s hotline 1-800-269-0271 or online at www.oig.ssa.gov.