Benefits Planner |
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| Someone who can help you understand or apply for benefit programs when you become disabled or turn 65. Their goal is to help you avoid financial complications while developing a sustainable plan for the future.
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Benefits Planning Query (BPQY) |
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A report that summarizes your current Social Security disability benefits.
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Blind Work Expenses (BWE) |
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Documented expenses needed in order to work that are reported to Social Security with wage reports. BWEs are for individuals who are awarded Supplemental Security Income because they meet Social Security's rules for being blind.
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Break-Even Point (BEP) |
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This is the income amount which reduces your Supplemental Security Income payment to zero when Social Security uses the countable income calculation. Your break even point can be determined by your earned and unearned income, living arrangements, and applicable income exclusions. |
Community Work Incentives Coordinator (CWIC) |
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The federal government pays benefits planners in communities around the country to help people think ahead about work incentives and benefits issues. CWIC'S are benefits planners who are trained by the Social Security Administration to assist beneficiaries with programs including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in addition to other related programs.
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Continuing Disability Review (CDR) |
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A periodic review to determine if there has been any medical improvement in your condition and/or to determine whether you continue to be eligible for Social Security benefits for other reasons. The two types of reviews are called a medical CDR and a work CDR.
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Countable Income Calculation |
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The calculation used to determine how much of your unearned and earned income is counted when determining your SSI benefit and eligibility.
Step 1: If you have unearned income (for example, an SSDI benefit), subtract a $20 "General Income Exclusion" from it to calculate your countable unearned income. If you do not have unearned income, this exclusion is applied to any earned income.
Step 2: If you have earned income (for example, wages), subtract a $65 "Earned Income Exclusion" from it (along with the remainder of the $20 "General Income Exclusion" that you have not applied to Unearned Income), along with any Impairment Related Work Expenses, and divide the resulting figure by two to find your countable earned income. If you have Blind Work Expenses, subtract them after you divide.
Step 3: Add your countable unearned income to your countable earned income to find your total countable income.
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Disability (Definition used by Social Security for Adults) |
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The inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. A person must not only be unable to do his/her previous work but cannot, considering age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of SGA which exists in the national economy. It is immaterial whether such work exists in the immediate area, or whether a specific job vacancy exists, or whether the worker would be hired if he/she applied for work. The worker’s impairment(s) must be the primary reason for his/her inability to engage in SGA.
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Earned Income (EI) |
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Salaries, wages, tips, professional fees and other amounts received as pay for physical or mental work actually performed. Funds received from any other source are not included. (Contrast unearned income.) |
Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits |
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Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) |
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The national benefit amount, established by the Social Security Administration (SSA), for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. The Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) is administered by SSA for all states and Commonwealths annually. For 2008, the FBR is $637 for an individual and $956 for a couple. |
Gross Income |
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Income before taxes and other deductions are made.
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HIV/AIDS Disability Form 4814 for Social Security |
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A form for individuals with HIV/AIDS who are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The form requires physicians to identify whether an individual has one of the 41 opportunistic infections listed on the form, and to specify any "repeated manifestations" of other symptoms that restrict certain aspects of the individual's life.
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Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) |
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Documented expenses for services or items that are related to one's impairment and needed in order to work. Wheelchairs, physician visits, co-pays for prescriptions, and other medical expenses are some examples of IRWEs. The expenses must be verified by original receipts and canceled checks.
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Integration |
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The adjustment of payments when an individual is eligible for more than one benefit program.
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Liquid Assets |
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Accessible cash resources that include: individual/joint checking and savings accounts, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, mining rights and cash value in a life insurance policy.
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Onset Date (Social Security) |
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The date, after reviewing an individual's medical records, that Social Security determines that a disability began. The date Social Security receives an application does not necessarily establish the onset date.
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Overpayment |
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Payment that exceeds the approved benefit amount.
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Parental Control |
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Social Security uses this as one measure of whether or not a beneficiary should receive an independent living benefit rate. A child is considered to be under "parental control" if their parent has the authority to make decisions on their behalf.
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PASS |
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Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) |
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A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that allows you to set aside income and resources for expenses related to a specific work goal. Income that you use for these expenses will not cause your SSI benefit to decrease. Resources that you spend on PASS expenses won't count towards the SSI limit. |
Presumptive Disability |
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A status granted to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants who have a high chance of being found disabled according to Social Security Administration (SSA) standards. If the SSA finds you presumptively disabled, they will begin benefit payments while your application is still being reviewed.
The SSA may find you presumptively disabled if you meet the medical criteria of the Blue Book Listing of Impairments or if you have HIV/AIDS and meet the criteria of SSA Form 4814. In either case, you must also meet SSI financial requirements to be eligible for presumptive disability benefits.
Repayments of presumptive disability benefits are not required even if SSI benefits are ultimately denied.
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Protective Filing Date |
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The date an individual first contacts the Social Security Administration (SSA) to file for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The protective filing date establishes the earliest possible date an individual can receive SSI benefits.
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Resource Exclusions |
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Retroactive Payments
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Payments made for the period between disability onset and application approval.
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Social Security's 1619(b) Provisions |
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Provisions that allow Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries to retain Medi-Cal coverage when their combined income is too high to receive any SSI cash benefit. To continue receiving Medi-Cal, an individual must meet all of the following 1619(b) provisions:
- Received an SSI benefit payment in the past twelve months
- Meet medical disability requirements
- Meet non-disability requirements
- Need Medi-Cal health coverage to continue working
- Have wages below the 1619(b) threshold amount of $34,346 annually ($35,906 if blind) as of 2008 in California
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SSI Resource Exclusions |
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In addition to your home and one car, there are several other resources that may be excluded when determining your SSI countable resource total. Earned Income Tax Credits ( EITC), Child Tax Credits (CTC), Food Stamps, grants, scholarships, fellowships, gifts, property essential to self-support, Individual Development Accounts ( IDAs), and many other items may be excluded. Review your resources and your resource exclusions with your PASS specialist . |
State Supplemental Payment (SSP)
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A voluntary state supplement to the Federal Benefit Rate. The SSP in California is $233 for an individual and $568 for a couple. |
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) |
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Work that disqualifies an individual from Social Security disability benefits. Social Security uses earning limits to determine whether or not an individual is performing SGA.
For 2008, SGA is $940 ($1,570 for the blind).
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI) |
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The Blue Book (Listing of Impairments) |
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The Social Security publication that provides detailed information about disability programs to physicians and other health care professionals. The Blue Book includes the complete Listing of Impairments, which lists and defines those conditions considered severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity. The Blue Book can now be accessed online. |
Ticket |
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A standard form that indicates eligibility for the Ticket to Work Program.
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Ticket to Work Program |
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Unearned Income (UI) |
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Funds received from sources for which no paid work activity was performed. (Examples: Disability benefits such as SDI, SSDI, SSI, STD, and LTD; income from a trust or investment, dividends, profits, or funds received from any source other than work are all examples of unearned income.) |
Work Incentives |
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Work
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Physical or mental activity that is actually performed and results in earned income. |
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