Articles Posted in Social Security Administration (SSA)

Next year, Social Security disability beneficiaries may be able to earn a higher amount per month without it having an effect on their eligibility for benefits.  This and other changes could be coming to the Social Security Administration as early as 2023.

Experts predict that income thresholds (known as “substantial gainful activity” or “SGA”) for Social Security disability beneficiaries will increase in 2023. Currently, the SGA threshold is $1,350 for disabled individuals.   Social Security observers predict the threshold will increase in 2023 making it possible for beneficiaries to earn more and still remain on benefits.

In 2022, the Social Security Administration announced a record cost -of -living adjustment, resulting in more money for Social Security disability beneficiaries. That cost-of-living adjustment may actually increase even further in 2023. Experts suggest that the cost- of -living adjustment will reach 8. 6% in 2023.  This has been confirmed by officials at the Social Security Administration who say that the cost-of -living adjustment increase for next year will reflect the growing inflation in the country. If the 8.6% cost-of-living adjustment goes into effect next year, then it would be the highest such increase on record since 1981.

For several years, media sources reported that the Social Security Administration could run out of funds and become insolvent in the next couple of decades.  Now, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have introduced a new bill that is aimed at preventing exactly that.

According to some estimates, the Social Security Administration will run out of funds by the year 2035.   Bernie Sanders, Independent -Vermont and Senator Elizabeth Warren -Democrat Massachusetts recently introduced a bill targeted at an increase in Social Security funding.

The bill aims at making the agency solvent by 2096, and also targets an increase in the amount of monthly benefits for beneficiaries.  According to the plan, which should be welcomed by all Social Security beneficiaries, benefits will increase by as much as $200 per month or $2,400 per year.  The cost of living in several American cities, including in Georgia, has skyrocketed over the past decade and Social Security benefits haven’t kept pace.

There has been a steady drop in the number of people on Social Security disability benefits since 2014.  That drop has become even more significant since the pandemic.  A move away from manual labour towards more sedentary jobs means fewer workers suffer from the kind of physical injuries that might result in a disability.  Also, better access to healthcare as a result of the Affordable Care Act allows many people suffering a disability the medical treatment necessary to recover and to ultimately return to work.

However, the drop seems to have become even more significant since the pandemic.  As many as 80% of the people who died in the pandemic were above the age of 65.  The  pandemic also resulted in many people accelerating their plans for retirement.  That resulted in fewer people dependent on disability benefits.  However, the most compelling reason for the drop in beneficiaries could be that many applicants were simply unable to apply for the benefits as a result of closure of Social Security field offices across Georgia and the rest of the country.

Finally, approval rates of administrative law judges have dropped from 57% approval in 2009 to 49% approval in 2019.  The process of  monitoring the judges’  decisions has become  stricter which has meant a lowered approval rate.  Thus, the process for approval is harder and often requires hiring an attorney.

Social Security Administration field offices across Georgia opened in April after a gap of more than 2 years.  If you are planning a visit to your nearest Social Security office, here is what you need to keep in mind.

Most Social Security offices are likely to be swamped in the first few weeks and months after the opening. The crush is likely to be even more severe in states like Georgia that have massive backlogs of Social Security claims. While most Social Security Administration activities were delayed as a result of the transition to online and phone services during the pandemic, the impact on claims filed under the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs has been especially severe.  The pipeline has been clogged and thousands of claims remain yet to be processed. That translates into large wait times at these offices.

Know that you will probably also have long wait times as you wait for appointments via phone.  Social Security Administration phone lines also have been clogged during the pandemic, and now that offices have opened, that problem is likely to become even worse, as thousands of potential beneficiaries call the agency’s hotline numbers. Applicants have been complaining about being placed on hold for several minutes with no contact with any officer.

It’s finally confirmed. All field offices of the Social Security Administration, which have been closed for more than two years, will finally open on April 7.

Field offices of the Social Security Administration have been closed since March 17, 2020, after the first cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the US.  Since then, services have moved online, but online transactions have been far from smooth.  This has resulted in long wait times and delays in the processing of claims. The Social Security Administration has also offered the option of mail services during this time. However, for many, especially people in rural areas and those without access to technology and transportation, this transition has been a challenging one.  As a result, the number of claims that were filed during this time as well as the speed of processing, has dropped.

Now that it seems like the worst of the pandemic is behind us, the Social Security Administration is finally opening up its offices. You can now visit your local field office for help with your Social Security disability insurance payments, Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income benefits and other activities.  Make sure that you wear a mask to stay safe when you enter a field office.