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Understanding Supplemental Security Income

Understanding Supplemental Security Income

The Supplemental Security Income program (SSI) was created by the United States government in 1974 to provide aid to individuals that are blind, disabled or aged 65 and above. Though similar assistance programs existed, the SSI program replaced them to create a more comprehensive set of guidelines, standards and requirements. SSI was brought about as a part of the Nixon administration’s efforts to reform the condition of welfare in the United States. During that administration, each state offered different forms of aid under the Aid to the Blind, Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled, and Aid to the Elderly programs. With the Supplemental Security Income program established, the rudimentary differences between each state’s programs disappeared. This was due to the Social Security Administration (SSA) taking charge of the program and restructuring guidelines of the program from the federal level to the state level. Although the SSA oversees and operates the Supplemental Security Income program, funds are not supplied by the Social Security trust fund. The United States Treasury supplies monies for the program from its general funds.
Applicants must meet certain criteria to be considered eligible for the Supplemental Security Income program. This criteria includes:
         Being blind, disabled, or aged 65 or older;
         Being a United States citizen residing in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or a student studying abroad;
         Having an income within certain limitations and constraints;
         and, Applying for the SSI benefits package.
Applicants may be denied if they have not applied for other means of income aid, have outstanding warrants, or do not consent to the Social Security Administration performing a financial background check. Furthermore, if an applicant is uninsured for a disability at the time the application is filed, he or she must also apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Applications are first reviewed by the SSA to ensure that the minimum of requirements are fulfilled by the applicant. After that, the application is reviewed and investigated by the office of Disability Determination Services (DDS) in the applicant’s state. The state’s DDS office then reviews medical records, interviews the patient’s doctors, and checks any test results regarding the applicant’s condition. With the investigation completed, the state’s DDS office then renders its decision.
Unlike the Social Security Disability InsuranceThe Supplemental Security Income program is intended to provide a monthly stipend for participants in order for them to afford basic food, shelter and clothing needs. Some states bundle SSI benefits with a Medicaid package to provide for the medical needs of the participant.

4 Parts of Medicare Benefits

4 Parts of Medicare Benefits

Medicare is an insurance program for United States citizens aged 65 and older through the United States government. This program was created under the Social Security Act of 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. To qualify for Medicare benefits, applicants must be at least 65 and have lived in the United States as a legal citizen for a minimum of five years. The applicant, or his or her spouse, must also have paid Medicare taxes for a minimum of ten years to the program.
If an applicant is under the age of 65, he or she must have either begun to receive benefits under the Social Security Act or have been disabled. Medicare benefits would then become effective after two years from first receiving a disability payment. Other criteria for receiving Medicare include those applicants who receive regular dialysis treatments or require a kidney transplant and those applicants that may receive Social Security disability insurance or suffer from Lou Gehrig’s disease (or ALS).
Medicare benefits are paid for primarily through taxes. The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) and the Self-Employment Contributions Act impose taxes on employers, through payroll (wages and salaries), to fund the insurance program. The taxes equal 2.9 percent of payroll to be paid to the Medicare program. Prior to 1993, there was a limit imposed through legislation on the amount of wages that could be taxed.
This cap has been disposed of since January 1, 1994. For Medicare benefits through employers, the employee and the employers split the difference of the 2.9 percent. Those who are self-employed have to provide the 2.9 percent tax from their total earnings. However, for income tax purposes, the 2.9 percent could be divided in half for the self-employed from funds set aside for income taxes.
Medicare benefits under this insurance program are divided into four parts – Hospital insurance, Medical insurance, Advantage plans, and Prescription drug plans.

Hospital insurance, or Part A of the Medicare program

This covers the costs of a participant’s overnight hospital stays or stays in a nursing facilityskilled nursing care Medical insurance, or Part B of the Medicare program, assists in paying for outpatient fees and some services not covered by Medicare Part A. Part B covers lab tests, vaccinations, dialysis, and the cost of medical equipment, e.g. wheelchairs, canes, and prosthetics.
Advantage plans, or Part C of the Medicare program
These are the plans that give participants the option to incorporate other health insurance plans into their Medicare benefits. This was made possible by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.


Prescription drug plans, or Part D of the Medicare program

These are the most recent addition to the government provided insurance program. Beginning in 2006, participants that receive benefits from Parts A and B of the Medicare program may receive benefits under Part D. These plans can be customized to choose which drugs will be covered and may exclude certain drugs. Drugs that Part D does not cover are cough suppressants, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines.

Eligibility for Survivors Benefits

Eligibility for Survivors Benefits

A Survivors Benefits package, or Survivors Insurance, is income given to the spouse and/or children of a family wage earner by the Social Security Administration (SSA). This benefits package helps to supplement the income of families of the deceased through Social Security taxes.
If the deceased has paid Social Security taxes, and has worked a certain amount of years, depending on how old he or she was at time of death, a proportionate amount will be paid to the deceased’s family. The amount of the survivors benefits package is directly proportionate to the amount of Social Security taxes paid over time and the lifetime earnings of the deceased. The more the deceased earned, the larger the benefits package will be for the family.
Survivors Insurance is available through the Social Security Administration. It is similar to life insurance supplied by private insurance companiesSurvivors insurance can also be applied for by the spouse (married or divorced, widow or widower) of the deceased. The benefits package will be based on the deceased’s lifetime earnings, Social Security taxes and their age at time of death.
If the survivor is a widow or widower at retirement age or older, he or she will receive 100 percent of the deceased’s benefits package amount. If the survivor is a widow or widower between the ages of 60 and retirement age, he or she can receive anywhere from 71 percent to 99 percent of the Survivors Benefits package of the deceased.
Children of the deceased, regardless of age, automatically receive 75 percent of the Survivors Benefits package of the decedent. The maximum of benefits that a survivor can receive is anywhere between 150 percent and 180 percent of the Survivors Benefits package.
The amount of the Survivors Benefits package may be affected if the survivor is still working. However much the survivor has earned, if exceeding certain limitations, may reduce the amount paid by the Social Security Administration. This limit becomes null and void during the month the survivor reaches retirement age. The earnings of the survivor will only reduce the amount received by that individual survivor, not additional survivors.

Medicaid Explained

Medicaid Explained

Medicaid is a government provided insurance program in the United States. While Medicare

Medicaid eligibility is prescribed on a case to case basis. The eligibility categories under the Medicaid program include children, women during pregnancy, adults with children that qualify for the program, and those suffering from disabilities. Again, in order to qualify for Medicaid benefits, applicants must be in a low income situation. Simply suffering from poverty does not guarantee Medicaid benefits. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Other eligibility criteria for Medicaid benefits include age, disability, blindness, income, and pregnancy. In regard to children, Medicaid benefits may be applied to a child who is a United States citizen or permanent resident. Even though the child can receive benefits, the child’s parent may not be eligible.

Medicaid benefits also extend to those with HIV and AIDS. Under Medicaid guidelines, an applicant with a T-cell count, or white blood cell count, below 200 can qualify for benefits. However, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recommends treatment and care for individuals with a T-cell count below 350. Also, those low income applicants must have a condition that has progressed to AIDS to qualify in most situations.

Medicaid is provided by each state, though it is operated and administered differently in each state. Each state’s Medicaid program is then monitored by the CMS. States often pay up to half of the cost of Medicaid benefits for participants unlike Medicare which is paid for through designated Medicare taxes. Medicaid also differs from Medicare in that it is needs based not simply available for all citizens of a certain demographic.

State guidelines and provided benefits also vary in degrees of coverage, eligibility, and payment for Medicaid applicants. In addition to providing Medicaid benefits, some states offer applicants an option to enroll in the Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (HIPP). This allows participants to receive private health insurance paid for in part, or whole, by the Medicaid program.

States receive additional federal support to pay for Medicaid services. The amount of federal aid given to each state is based on a formula known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage. This percentage is based on the poverty level of each individual state. This percentage also helps to match payments made by each state to the Medicaid program.

Social Security Disability Insurance Process

Social Security Disability Insurance Process

Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, is a federal insurance program that provides income for disable applicants that are not able to work due to their disability. The SSDI program was created by the United States government under the Social Security Act of 1965 and is often referred to as Disability Insurance benefits or Title II benefits.
Applicants may qualify for SSDI benefits if they suffer from a condition, physical or mental, that inhibits the applicant from maintaining gainful employment. Other qualifications evaluate how long the applicant has worked, how long they have suffered from their condition, if they are younger than 65, and how long the condition will persist.
Depending on the applicants age, they must have worked a certain number of years to be eligible for SSDI benefits. For example, if the applicant is under the age of 28, they must have worked steadily for a minimum of 1.5 years. An applicant that is 60 years old must have worked for a minimum of 9.5 years.
If the applicant has had the condition prior to turning 22, he or she does not have to meet length of work requirements. If the condition is anticipated to persist for at least year or longer or cause the applicant’s death, the applicant may also qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance.
After the application for benefits has been received, the Social Security Administration (SSA) review the application to ensure it meets the minimum criteria. After that, the applicant is screened by the office of Disability Determination Services in that applicant’s state. This office interviews the applicant’s doctors, reviews the applicant’s treatments and prior medical history, and reviews the results of any medical tests performed regarding the applicant’s medical condition.
The office of Disability Determination Services also reviews the applicant’s work habits including job requirements and activities to determine if the condition does in fact impede the applicant’s ability to work. As the SSA notes on their website regarding Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, they administer a five-step process to determine if you are disabled.  
The process pertains to these five criteria:
         Work History
         Severity of medical condition
         Qualification based on the applicant’s state’s List of Impairments
         Ability to perform prior work activities
         Ability to perform tasks in another capacity or different employment
The Social Security Disability Insurance program has special provisions for the blind.
The wait time for a decision for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, whether acceptance or denial, has increased annually. This is caused by a backlog of applicants, an increase of applicants seeking benefits.
The top ten states with the most extensive wait time for a decision regarding SSDI benefits are Alabama (AL), the District of Columbia (D.C.), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE), Ohio (OH), and Wisconsin (WI).

Other Social Security Benefits

Other Social Security Benefits

While the Social Security Administration
(SSA) provides benefits for United States citizens through Medicare and
Medicaid, other benefits packages are attainable under the Social Security Act
of 1965. These benefits allow citizens to maintain a certain level of income so
that basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing are met.

However, in order
to receive these benefits under the SSA, applicants must have worked for a
minimum number of years and have paid Social Security taxes. Any benefits
received will be affected by these amounts. When having approached retirement
age, citizens may apply for Retirement/Old Age Insurance.

Public Benefits

Public Benefits

Public benefits are sources of support for United States citizens which are provided and funded by the federal government. Agencies like the Social Security Administration (SSA) and legislation like the Social Security Act of 1965 ensure that citizens in need of aid receive. Public benefits available include health insurance, health care, retirement income and disability income. Many of these programs are paid for by federal and state governments, however, some do require contributions by prospective applicants in the form of taxes.

Public benefits help ensure that United States citizens are receiving proper care and can maintain certain living standards. While considered forms of social welfare, these benefits also provide for the future of the American populace. 

Medicare

Medicare is an insurance program designed to provide citizens aged 65 and older with proper medical care. Medicare is funded through taxes attributed to an employee’s pay. The Medicare program contains four parts that encompass health care benefits for its participants. These four parts, A through D, cover hospital care, medical care, advantage plans and prescription drug plans.

Parts A through D are the backbone of the Medicare program and have been amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. This act updated and added guidelines to the program as health care and insurance providers had changed since the program’s inception in 1965.

Medicaid

Medicaid is another health insurance program created by the Social Security Administration for United States citizens. While Medicare focuses on care for senior citizens, Medicaid is designated for low income citizens. The Medicaid program is designed to help people with limited financial resources acquire adequate medical coverage as long as they qualify for eligibility.

The program is funded on two levels, state and federal. Each state has its own Medicaid program, however, these programs are governed on a federal level by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesStates provided coverage in varying degrees and may allow program participants to use private health insurance services. The program, is it varies by state, also receives different names in each state. In Maine, Medicaid is known as MaineCare. Wisconsin calls the program ForwardHealth. In Pennsylvania, the program is known as the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP).

Other Social Security Benefitsretirement age Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are benefits paid to citizens that can no longer work due to a disability or medical condition. Based on the SSA’s review of the disability, the applicant may receive benefits until they are able to return to the job market or for as long as the medical condition persists. Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) is another benefits package available to the elderly, disabled and blind from the SSA. These benefits are another form of social welfare and aim to help those with limited financial resources or disabilities. 

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) oversees hospitals and medical centers that provide care for United States military veterans. The VHA also trains doctors and nurses for the purposes of giving proper care to veterans.

Though in the past the VHA has received negative press for high mortality rates and poor patient evaluations, measures have been taken to ensure that these issues are no longer a cause for concern. These measures include updating facilities and creating centers for outpatient care. The VHA has also developed new systems to prevent medical malpractice on the behalf of doctors and nurses.

The VHA provides care for veterans regardless of gender or socioeconomic status. However, veterans must meet eligibility guidelines before care can be given. 

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