Now is the time of year when letters will be sent to people who are currently getting Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. These letters will provide information about what to expect in regards to the amount of your benefit checks in the coming year. The letter my husband got was a bit disappointing this time around.
My husband is legally blind, which means he qualifies for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. He is able to work part time, and the money he gets from his Disability Insurance is an incredibly helpful supplement to his income. It is something we rely on. There was a time when his Disability Insurance benefits were stopped, as some paperwork issues were sorted out, and this made things very financially difficult for us, until things got resolved.
The letter he got this week regarding his Disability Insurance benefits said that he would continue to get the same amount of money that he did last year. In a way, this is positive news, because it means that his Disability Insurance will continue, and that they haven’t decided to deny him of his benefits. On the other hand, it isn’t wonderful news either, because it means that he won’t be getting a raise in the amount that will appear on each check. There are thousands of other Americans who are going to be getting a letter just like the one my husband received.
The top portion of this letter clearly states that an increase in benefits happens when there is a rise in the cost of living. The government measures changes in the cost of living, through something called Consumer Price Index (CPI). Since the CPI has not risen since 2008, which is the last time it was adjusted. If I am understanding things correctly, the amount of money a person will get in benefits goes up when we are in a period of inflation. Since we are in either a recession (or, possibly, in an actual depression), there will be no raise in benefits.
Now, I should point out that Social Security Disability Insurance is not the same thing as Unemployment Insurance benefits. Unemployment benefits run out after a specific period of time. This is not the case for Disability Insurance. Which is good, because there are people who truly need these benefits, like my husband does. On the other hand, the lack of an endpoint to the benefits has been attracting a lot of people to attempt to get Disability Insurance benefits, now that their Unemployment Insurance has run out. That isn’t what Disability Insurance is actually designed for, however.
Image by David Morris on Flickr