Kim Paul Carter of St. Augustine thought he would easily qualify for Social Security disability after his second round of debilitating cancer cost him his carpentry job, his house and all of his savings. But Carter, 54, is still waiting a year and a half after applying and has hired a lawyer to appeal the decision.

“It’s pretty hard; it gets you depressed,” said Carter, who now is living in a camper on land his family owns behind his foreclosed house. His family members have to give him money for the gas he uses for the generator that supplies the electricity and he is often without phone service.

“It’s hard after working all your life … depending on everybody else,” Carter said. “You feel like a burden to them.”

Carter is one of millions of Americans waiting longer for disability benefits because the number applying for benefits has grown substantially in the last few years, as has the number of rejections.

“Baby boomers reaching their disability-prone years and the economic downturn have contributed to the increase in applications,” said Patti Patterson, Social Security Administration regional communications director.

a href=”http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2011-11-12/social-security-disability-harder-get-baby-boomer-bubble-swells-number”> See full story here:

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Most vets know they have eligibility for VA disability retirement benefits, but some may be unaware that they are also eligible for Social Security disability if they need it.

Each year on Nov. 11, America observes Veterans Day and honors the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces. Many of our Vietnam-era veterans now are nearing retirement age or are already there. It is important they and other American service personnel know just what retirement benefits they can count on from Social Security as they make their future financial plans.

Remember that Social Security is more than retirement. If a worker becomes disabled before reaching retirement age, he or she might be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. A disabled worker’s spouse and dependent children also might be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits.
If you or someone you know were wounded while on active duty in the military, find out more about what Social Security can do by visiting the website designed specifically for wounded warriors: www. socialsecurity.gov/wounded warriors.

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A little-known Veterans Health Administration (VHA) directive requires VHA health care providers to aid veterans in applying for Social Security Disability and other benefits not related to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The directive, 2008-071, mandates that VHA health care providers assist veteran patients with completing non-VA medical forms required for various benefits processes, including Social Security Disability. It also requires the VA health care provider to obtain, on request, medical statements, which can be used for non-VA purposes. For those veterans applying for benefits like Social Security Disability, the help that the VHA owes them can be invaluable. See article here:

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An interesting new report points out the reasons minority populations depend disproportionately on Social Security. The report’s bottom-line message is that Social Security is a more critical safety net for minority Americans, who tend to be poorer and more vulnerable to economic fluctuations than their white counterparts. To be sure, by 2070, economic mobility and security for minorities in the United States could improve significantly, giving them more assets and income outside Social Security in their old age. But Rockeymoore points out, the economic crisis has exacerbated the race gap in wealth and income, which have persisted over many decades. And though benefits are given out according to a progressive formula, Social Security hasn’t been that effective at redistributing wealth from rich to poor households. Full article here:

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Query: will Social Security disability cover you if become disabled? If you end up totally and permanently disabled, unable to earn money and facing a raft of medical bills, you’re going to need some help. And Social Security disability benefits, at an average of $1,070 a month, aren’t going to cover it. That’s why most experts recommend that workers — especially younger workers who have decades of expected earnings ahead of them — nail down some disability coverage, despite the very slim chances that they will need it. See full story here:

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Mark Miller at Reuters.com writes about the significant service cutbacks being made by Social Security,(SSA). It has responded to the tight budget by reducing employee overtime by 80 percent. That has cut into the amount of time available to help people who come into SSA local field offices for face-to-face services. The agency also lost about 1,600 workers last year who can’t be replaced due to a hiring freeze.

Another major concern is processing of Social Security disability claims, which have soared in recent years. Unlike retirement benefit applications – which are handled in near-automatic fashion – each disability application is reviewed for approval. The average time for processing claims had peaked at 532 days in 2008, but SSA had cut that back to 346 days as of September this year through increases in the capacity to hold hearings. In FY 2011, the agency issued nearly 800,000 hearing decisions, an increase of 45 percent.

But that figure could fall as much as 400,000 in fiscal 2012 even if agency funding is held steady, according to the union that represents SSA workers. In a recent letter to the Super Committee, the National Council of Social Security Administration Field Operations Locals (part of the American Federation of Government Employees) outlined an array of negative impacts of budget cutting. Along with the threat to disability claims processing, the letter described potential further cutbacks in working hours and services.

What does it mean? Less face-to-face assistance for thousands of seniors, widows, disabled people and the poor — many of whom can’t easily resolve their benefit issues over the phone of the Internet. See full article here:

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With the freshly announced 3.6% COLA increrase, the first since 2009,this information about Social Security is interesting.

—Beneficiaries: 55 million

—Retired workers: 35 million

—Disabled workers: 8.5 million

—Spouses and children: 5 million

—Widows, widowers and surviving children: 6.3 million

—Total benefits to be paid in 2011: $727 billion

—Average monthly payment in August: $1,082

—Average monthly increase next year: $39

—Number of workers who will pay into Social Security next year: 161 million

—Maximum wages subject to Social Security tax this year: $106,800

—Maximum wages subject to Social Security tax next year: $110,100

—Number of workers who will get a tax increase: 10 million

—Maximum tax increase: $205, paid by both worker and employer

Source: Social Security Administration.

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Today’s San Francisco Chronicle reports that “Any changes to Social Security will significantly impact future generations, and the American population will be much different ethnically and racially than it is today. It’s crucial that policymakers consider how people of color use Social Security and how it can be modernized to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse society,” said Commission member Maya Rockeymoore, president and CEO of Global Policy Solutions. “People of color are more economically vulnerable and depend on Social Security benefits to meet basic needs when they or family members face death, disability, or old age.”

Plan for a New Future reveals stark differences in how Social Security is used by whites and people of color. While the vast majority of whites (74%) depend on Social Security for the program’s retirement benefits, almost half (45%) of all African-American beneficiaries and a majority (58%) of “other” racial and ethnic groups rely on its survivor and disability benefits. According to the report, the greater reliance on survivor and disability benefits reflects socioeconomic factors, such as lower educational attainment and higher rates of poverty, disability, sickness, and – for African Americans and Native Americans – death. These usage patterns reflect the effects of occupational segregation, with people of color more often working in physically challenging jobs that are more likely to lead to temporary or permanent disability, as well as early death.

“Two-thirds of Latino workers are employed by companies that do not offer any type of retirement savings plan. Thus, Latinos tend to depend more on Social Security as their sole source of income in old age,” said Commission member Leticia Miranda, associate director of economic and employment policy for the National Council of La Raza. “For many families Social Security is critical to staying out of poverty.”

For instance, the report argues that for Latinos and Asians, who have longer life expectancies than whites or other minority groups, the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) is an especially important feature because it maintains the purchasing power of Social Security benefits for those who are very long-lived. On the other hand, Social Security’s early retirement feature is vital to shorter-lived African Americans and Native Americans since it allows them to retire at 62. See more here:>a>

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At a recent national conference of Social Security judges in San Antonio, the topic of budget cuts was a high priority:

“If this agency gets its budget reduced, it’ll only make things worse,” Frye said. “Congress needs to step up to the plate and do the right thing. Otherwise, we’re going to go back to people waiting three to four years to get a disability hearing, which is a real tragedy.”

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Today’s Washington Post reports concerns from within: A letter from the National Council of Social Security Administration Field Operations Locals, which is part of the American Federation of Government Employees, looked at three budget scenarios: the current status of the SSA; the fiscal 2012 situation, with only current funding; and 2012 with a 5 percent reduction.

It was sent to Democrats on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the supercommittee. Rebutting Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s description of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme,” the labor organization said that “no program has done more to protect middle class individuals when they retire or become disabled.”

But the level of service the elderly and disabled have come to expect could diminish more than it has already if the SSA budget is whittled away. In August, the SSA began closing its field offices 30 minutes early to save on overtime payments to staff members.

“Given the tight budget situation, we’ve had to make tough choices,” said SSA spokesman Mark Hinkle. “This includes an 80 percent reduction in overtime for our front-line employees, resulting in about $100 million less in overtime this fiscal year.” See story here:

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