Tag Archives: children

Will adoption end benefits to a child?

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Q: My young children receive Social Security survivors benefits because their father died several years ago. I am planning to remarry in a few months. Will the children lose their survivors benefits if my new husband adopts them?

A: Adoption of a child already entitled to Social Security survivors benefits does not end his or her benefits. 

Some other considerations:

Do you also receive Social Security survivors benefits? If you do, and assuming that you are younger than age 60, remarriage normally will end your survivors benefits even though benefits to the children continue. Ask about your specific situation.

Are you changing your name? If so, update your Social Security number (SSN) record at no charge. Assuming that you receive the Social Security benefits on behalf of the children, SSA calls this being their representative payee, you will also have to update your name on those benefits.

Read the Social Security booklet, What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits (publication 05-10077), online at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10077.pdf, by calling the SSA national toll-free phone number, 1-800-772-1213, TTY 1-800-325-0778, or by contacting any SSA office.

Best wishes.

Popular baby names for each state available

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Did you check to see how popular your name is?

Last week the Social Security Administration announced the most popular baby names nationally for 2012. For years after 1879 you can learn the national popularity of a given name by percentage of births or actual number of times used. Go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/babynames/.

Today the 100 most popular names by individual state were revealed based on a 100 percent sample of Social Security number card applications. 

While having fun with baby names on www.socialsecurity.gov, consider creating your own my Social Security account to access your personal Social Security Statement and other services.

Shown here are the top ten male and female names nationally, and for North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. For any state, go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/babynames/state/index.html. 

 

 

 

 Smartphone Reminder:

Since early May, when visiting the Social Security Administration website, www.socialsecurity.gov, via smartphone (Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows devices) you are redirected to the agency’s new mobile-friendly site. There you can access a mobile version of Social Security’s Frequently Asked Questions, an interactive Social Security number (SSN) decision tree to help identify documents needed for a new/replacement SSN card, and mobile publications which you can listen to in both English and Spanish.

How popular is your name?

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Annually near Mother’s Day, Social Security publishes the most popular baby names in the United States for the previous year. Based on Social Security number applications, learn the popular baby names for 2012 at the SSA website, www.socialsecurity.gov. Follow the baby names link at Popular Services.

Nationally for 2012, the five most popular female names are Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia and Ava with the most popular male names being Jacob, Mason, Ethan, Noah and William. 

Jacob and Sophia are repeat champions as America’s most popular baby names for 2012. This is the fourteenth year in a row Jacob tops the list for boys and the second year for Sophia. When visiting the baby names pages, also learn about Social Security benefits for children. 

Learn the most popular names in each State and see how the popularity of a given name changes over time. Popular names by State for births in 2012 will be available here on May 16. In the meantime, you can view the popular names for previous years.

When visiting the baby names pages, also learn about Social Security benefits for children.

How popular is your name? Go to www.socialsecurity.gov and find out.

You can own a home and receive SSI

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Q:  Can a person who owns a house and car receive Supplemental Security Income?

A:  Yes, depending on the details.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a low-income program for people at least age 65, and disabled or blind adults or children. Resource limits exist for SSI, with resources defined as items you own or can convert to cash including bank accounts, property and vehicles. There are income limits also. SSI is a very different program from Social Security, although people apply for it at Social Security.

Not everything you own counts as a resource. If you live in it, your home including the land it is on, generally is not counted toward resource levels. If you own the home but do not live in it, both home and land will probably count as resources. One vehicle usually does not count as a resource either. 

Maximum SSI monthly amounts in 2013 are $710 for an eligible individual and $1,066 for an eligible couple, reduced by other income including Social Security benefits. Resource maximums are $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Subject to the SSI income limits, people can receive both SSI and Social Security benefits because they are two different programs. 

As with a home or vehicle, other resources might not count towards SSI resource levels. Most household goods, some insurance and some burial funds usually are not included.

Not all income counts for SSI either. For example, portions of wage and self-employment income, pensions, and State or local assistance based on need are not counted. 

SSI information is at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/ssi.htm and in SSA publication 05-11000, Supplemental Security Income.

To apply for SSI or ask questions, contact Social Security. Call the national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local SSA office.

Representative payee – use of Social Security funds

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Representative payees are routinely appointed for children. With rare exception, a child under age 18 will have a representative payee appointed to handle his or her Social Security benefits. If the child remains eligible past age 18 and assuming no capability issue exists, benefits are sent to him or her directly, without a representative payee. Social Security benefits for children are essentially the same whether due to a parent’s retirement, death or disability. 

Based on a question received this week, today’s topic involves the use of Social Security funds received on behalf of a child by the representative payee. How SSA funds are to be used is the same for an adult.

The child involved receives Social Security survivor benefits through the work record of a deceased parent. The surviving parent, representative payee for the child’s SSA benefits, is employed and taking care of the usual family expenses. Since the parent is handling expenses, the question was if they could save the Social Security survivor benefits for future need. With some caveats, the general answer is yes.

Referring to A Guide For Representative Payees, SSA publication 05-10076, the primary use of Social Security funds is to make sure the beneficiary’s basic day-to-day needs for food and shelter are met. Here, the child is the beneficiary but this applies to adults as well. After basic needs are met, Social Security benefits can be used for the person’s medical and dental care, if not covered by health insurance, and for personal needs, such as clothing and recreation. Remaining funds are to be saved for future need, preferably in an interest-bearing account, separately identified as belonging to the beneficiary.

Here, the parent is independently taking care of the child’s expenses. Since basic food and shelter plus additional financial needs of the child are met, saving the monthly Social Security survivor benefits for future need appears to be appropriate. If unmet needs existed, saving the Social Security benefits would serve little purpose and would not be in the child’s, or other beneficiary, best interests.

If you are now a representative payee or anticipate applying to be one for someone soon, review the representative payee section on the Social Security website, www.socialsecurity.gov. For often asked questions, go to the representative payee FAQ section. 

One more thing: unlike Social Security benefits, eligibility for the income based Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program has income and resource limits. Combined with other resources, saved funds can end SSI eligibility. If you are representative payee for a person receiving SSI, or if you receive SSI yourself, read What You Need To Know When You Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI), publication 05-11011.

Publications are available online, by calling the national toll-free number 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or from any Social Security office.

 

 

 

 

Expecting a New Year’s baby? Need a name?

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Are you expecting a New Year’s baby in the family? Need a name?

To give some ideas, each year around Mother’s Day the Social Security Administration announces the most popular baby names of the preceding year.  

Jacob and Sophia were America’s most popular baby names for 2011. For all the top baby names of 2011, go to Social Security’s website, www.socialsecurity.gov. Here are the top 10 boys and girls names for 2011:

Boys:
  1. Jacob
  2. Mason
  3. William
  4. Jayden
  5. Noah
  6. Michael
  7. Ethan
  8. Alexander
  9. Aiden
  10. Daniel
   Girls:
  1. Sophia
  2. Isabella
  3. Emma
  4. Olivia
  5. Ava
  6. Emily
  7. Abigail
  8. Madison
  9. Mia
  10. Chloe

Popular names by individual state are available as are names by birth year. You can even see how the popularity of a name has changed over time. Baby names for each year since 1880 are available.

Family traditions, religion and popular culture have a large impact on baby names. See how a names popularity changes over time at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/babynames/.   

Get your new baby a Social Security number. The easiest way to do this is at the hospital through a voluntary and free process when you apply for his or her birth certificate. The state agency that issues birth certificates will share your child’s information with the Social Security Administration. Then, without additional paperwork from you, a Social Security number card is issued for your child and mailed to you. This very popular method is faster and easier than waiting to apply directly with a Social Security office. See Social Security Numbers for Children, publication 05-10023, for more information.

Average Social Security benefit amounts

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Q: How much is the average Social Security benefit amount? 

A: The answer varies widely depending on the type of benefit. Benefits are payable through the three Social Security component programs of Old-Age (Retirement), Survivors and Disability. Within each, a variety of benefits is possible. Retirement and disability benefits could be payable to the worker based on his or her own Social Security number record as well as to eligible family members such as spouses or children. Survivor benefits are to eligible family members.  

In October 2012, the average monthly Social Security amount paid to all beneficiaries, for all types of Social Security benefits, was $1,131. 

For retirement benefits, the average worker, based on his or her individual work record, received $1,237 that month. More October 2012 data is here.  

Are you average? Estimate your own retirement amount with the SSA Retirement Planner tools, especially the Retirement Estimator. Get your online Social Security Statement for individual and family estimates for SSA retirement, survivors and disability benefits.

 

 
Type of beneficiary

Beneficiaries

Total monthly benefits (millions of dollars)

Average monthly benefit (dollars)

  

Number (thousands)

Percent

  
All beneficiaries

56,577

100.0

64,007

1,131.32

  
Old-Age Insurance    
Retired workers

36,593

64.7

45,275

1,237.28

  
Spouses

2,285

4.0

1,402

613.33

  
Children

605

1.1

366

605.30

  
Survivors Insurance    
Widow(er)s and parents a

4,212

7.4

4,900

1,163.36

  
Widowed mothers and fathers b

154

0.3

137

887.45

  
Children

1,886

3.3

1,479

784.40

  
Disability Insurance    
Disabled workers

8,802

15.6

9,780

1,111.09

  
Spouses

164

0.3

49

298.95

  
Children

1,876

3.3

619

329.96

  

 

Will there be a 2013 COLA for SSI?

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Q: Will there be a 2013 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for SSI?

A: Yes. The October announcement about the 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2013 included both monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. COLA changes will be in the Supplement Security Income payment received on December 31, 2012. COLA changes to Social Security will begin with benefits received in January 2013. 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources. SSI benefits also are payable to people 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial limits. See SSA publication 05-11000, Supplemental Security Income for program information.

Due to the COLA increase, in 2013 the maximum Federal Supplemental Security Income amount for an individual will increase to $710 per month compared to the 2012 maximum of $698. For an eligible couple, where both wife and husband receive SSI, the 2013 maximum amount is $1,066, up from the 2012 maximum of $1,048. Individual states can add to these amounts if desired.

These are maximum Federal amounts. Including Social Security benefits, other income reduces these SSI maximums. As of October 2012, approximately 8,278,000 people of all ages received Supplemental Security Income benefits. Of this number, 2,788,000 received both Social Security and SSI.

Including all national Supplemental Security Income recipients, whether child or adult or based on disability, blindness or age, as of October 2012, the average monthly SSI payment was about $516.

Allowable Supplemental Security Income resource levels are not changing in 2013. They remain at $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for an eligible couple.  

Details concerning what is included as income or resources for Supplemental Security Income is not changing in 2013 compared to 2012. Not all income or resources are counted for SSI purposes.  For example, the home you live in is not included.

Learn more about Supplemental Security Income at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/ssi.htm. To apply, telephone the national Social Security toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778, between 7:00am – 7:00pm, local time, or contact your local Social Security office.

 

Anniversary of SSI legislation

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Forty years ago today, on October 30, 1972, President Nixon signed the Social Security Amendments of 1972 (Public Law 92-603). Among other provisions, the law established a new Federal income program for the needy aged, blind and disabled. This was the Supplemental Security Income program. 

Prior to the enactment of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), many State and local programs for needy aged, blind or disabled people received substantial Federal funding. These programs had become very complex and inconsistent, with as many as 1,350 administrative agencies involved and payments varying more than 300% from State to State. With enactment, SSI provided a uniform federal income floor, and optional state programs would supplement that floor.  

The Social Security Administration was chosen to administer the new Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The first SSI payments went out in January 1974. I was already a SSA representative then and clearly remember the strenuous efforts involved during the start up. Roughly, three million people were converted from different State programs to SSI.  

Nationally, as of December 2011, approximately 8,112,773 people received a monthly SSI payment, for all categories of eligibility. Of this number, 2,716,259 people were also eligible for a Social Security retirement, survivors or disability benefit. SSI recipient numbers by individual state and county for this period are at http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2011/index.html.  Here are links for North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota information.

As mentioned in previous posts, Supplemental Security Income is very different from Social Security. Two primary differences are that SSI eligibility is based on need, not work as is Social Security, and that SSI is funded by general revenues, not Social Security payroll taxes.  

Supplemental Security Income makes payments to people with low income and limited resources who are age 65 or older or are blind or have a disability, including children. Living arrangements are also a factor in determining the benefit amount. 

In 2012, the standard, monthly federal amount is $698 for an individual and $1,048 for an eligible couple. In 2013 this will increase to a monthly maximum of $710 for an individual and $1,066 for an eligible couple. Other income, including from Social Security benefits, reduces these amounts. Different types of income reduce the standard amount in different ways. Some states add state funds to the federal amount. 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) information is at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/ssi.htm  and in the publication “Supplemental Security Income (publication # 05-11000. To learn more or apply, contact Social Security. Call the Social Security national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local office. 

 This 1991 poster was used to publicize SSI:

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) questions

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I have been holding several questions about the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. They are today’s topic. 

Q: Is Supplemental Security Income (SSI) a new program?

A: Not at all. The SSI program was signed into law by President Nixon as part of the Social Security Amendments of 1972. SSI benefits were first paid in 1974. 

The SSI program makes payments to people with low income and limited resources who are age 65 or older or are blind or have a disability, including children. Although the Social Security Administration manages the Supplemental Security Income program, SSI is not paid for by Social Security taxes. SSI is paid for by U.S. Treasury general funds. The two programs are very different.

Q: If the parent of a minor gets Supplemental Security Income disability, will his or her minor child also get SSI?

A: The SSI program does not provide for family benefits. Benefits are not payable to a minor child, or any other family member, just because a parent or spouse is eligible for SSI. It is possible for more than one member of a family to receive SSI if each individually meets the requirements. For example, if both members of a couple are over age 65, and each meet the income and resource rules, then both can receive SSI.

Q: Do children get the same SSI payment amount as an adult?

A: There is one standard, monthly, federal SSI payment amount, whether the eligible person is a child or adult, aged or disabled. Actual monthly amounts received by an individual depend on several factors including their own other income, family income, and living arrangements. Individual SSI amounts can frequently change based on these factors.

Q: Is Supplemental Security Income easier to get for a child compared to an adult?

A: These are two different decisions. An adult could be eligible to receive SSI based on age, blindness or disability. A child could be eligible based on either blindness or disability. For either, all income and resource levels must be met prior to any medical decision being made. For example, family income can make a disabled child ineligible. To be medically disabled for SSI, a child under age 18 must, in part, have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or impairments, which result in marked and severe functional limitations. When a child turns age 18, he or she must meet the definition of disability for an adult. The adult definition of disability is the same for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security. 

Q: How much is the Supplemental Security Income benefit amount?

A: In 2012, the standard, monthly federal amount is $698 for an individual and $1,048 for an eligible couple. Based on this weeks 1.7 percent cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) announcement, in 2013 this will increase to a monthly maximum of $710 for an individual and $1,066 for an eligible couple. Other income, including from Social Security benefits, reduces this amount. Different types of income reduce the standard amount in different ways. Some states add state funds to the federal amount. 

Basic information about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/ssi.htm  and in publication 05-11000.To learn more or apply, contact Social Security. Call the Social Security national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local office. 

Applications for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cannot be fully completed online because the person must talk to a Social Security representative. However, medical reports for SSI applications involving blindness or disability, for either an adult or child, can be completed online.  See http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/270.