Work Study and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

This Just the Facts Series details Work Study and Supplemental Security Income

Promising Practices: Massachusetts Association of Benefits Specialists

The Massachusetts Association of Benefits Specialists (MABS) was formed in 2001 by three SSA funded organizations in Massachusetts: Project Impact, BenePlan and the Disability Law Center. The Massachusetts Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security grantees banded together to provide efficient, high quality planning and legal assistance to disabled and blind social security recipients attempting to return to, or enter, the work force. MABS has allowed for cooperative training and resource development in a manner to allow the three participating organizations to stretch limited resources to provide services to a significant number of individuals. The hows, whats and whys are explored in this Promising Practice Brief

Tax Refund Offset

This Just the Facts Series details Tax Refund Offset when in certain circumstances the Social Security Administration can recover Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) overpayments by intercepting the overpaid individual’s federal income tax fund

Promising Practices: Ensuring Choice Under the Ticket to Work Program - The Indiana PABSS Approach

The Ticket to Work program offered disabled and blind social security beneficiaries the promise of greater choice when selecting a vocational rehabilitation provider. With the issuance of Transmittal #17, much of the opportunity to choose a provider was removed. The Protection and Advocacy agency in Indiana took steps to protect the rights of disabled and blind beneficiaries to choose providers in the face of this significant policy change. Learn what was done to protect the rights and ability of beneficiaries to seek and choose vocational rehabilitation providers

When are SSDI/SSI Benefits Paid Pending Appeal?

This Just the Facts Series details when SSDI/SSI benefits are paid pending appeal

Policy and Practice Brief: Administrative Offsets and Social Security Benefits

This brief provides a summary of the Anti-Assignment Clause of the Social Security Act and administrative offsets. It provides a description of the child support offset, food stamp dept offset, student loan offset, and interim assistance recoupment. It concludes with a discussion of implications for BPA&O and PABSS programs

Policy and Practice Brief: Planning a Structured Settlement for Social Security Beneficiaries

This Policy and Practice Brief will describe how the various SSA income and resource rules intersect with awards and/or settlements from legal proceedings. In addition, this Brief will provide a general overview of the common mechanisms utilized by trust and estates attorneys and other financial planners to protect an individual’s continuing eligibility for public benefits

Administrative Wage Garnishment: A new tool in SSA’s debt collection toolbox

This Just the Facts Series details Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG). SSA, subject to certain exceptions can use AWG to collect any overpayment that is “past due”. SSA can use AWG while it is also taking other action regarding the overpayment, such as, tax refund interception. This series outline the AWG option

Promising Practices: Reaching Out To The African-American Community In Illinois

Building trust and allowing for the development of a level of comfort has allowed Equip for Equality to successfully reach out to the African-American community in Chicago and rural Illinois. While the Illinois African-American community was seen as the initial target of outreach efforts, it soon became clear that there were differences to be dealt with when reaching out to the Chicago community and to the rural Illinois community

Promising Practices: Rhode Island Deafness Access Initiative: A Joint Effort of Rhode Island\u27s PABSS and BPA&O Projects

The Rhode Island Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPA&O) project has identified a pervasive access issue facing the state’s deaf and hard of hearing community. In partnership, the Rhode Island Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) project has taken action to remedy this issue of serious concern for this community. Lack of programmatic access to the disability benefits programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) has created a situation in which legal rights are unintentionally forfeited due to SSA’s failure to provide sign language interpreters and a lack of ability of most deaf or hard of hearing recipients to communicate in written English. SSA’s failure to provide interpreters is the direct cause of the access issues facing this vulnerable community