12 replies to this topic

[Stand]

I know it is likely to change a very little over the years. For example, I believe mine went up $60.00 for this entire upcoming year. Yippee! But honestly, do life events like getting married or having kids ever increase your benefits? Or for the instance of marriage, where the household income would increase, will the benefits decrease?

If anybody has any experience with this I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you.

Edited by Stand117711, 28 May 2011 - 04:43 AM.

[Simba]

No idea what it is like in the states.

Here getting married actually decreased our benefit even though extra support was promised.

If we had children we would get extra obviously to pay for the costs...

[wheeliebear75]

Here in the U.S. your income WILL go down if you marry & how much you get if any will depend on how much your spouse makes. Having children to my knowledge neither increases nor decreases your payment. And as an FYI you can get screwed if you spend more than 30 consecutive days in a hospital or board and care facility (I've never had to spend that much time but you might ask about it from a member who has AND receives SSI or SSDI).

I'm on SSI & live in CA USA

Edited by wheeliebear75, 28 May 2011 - 06:49 AM.

[Django]

To my best knowledge in the US being married doesnt affect the payment. Its based on your work credits and if you have children they may be eligible for a monthly benefit based on your disability status until 18. The SSA website explains the details.

[sh1wn]

Can't we also get cost of living increase's? I know we haven't got them the last few years even though congress has.
I think ssi can change from state to state but I might be wrong.

[Soryfam]

Yes, we get cost of living increases just like regular SS. The economy just hasn't merited them in the last couple of years. We have been given "stimulus" check a couple of times in the last two years, something like $400 or $500 just out of the blue. They also can automatically raise the amount we pay for part B and deduct from our checks. I think it went up a couple of dollars this year.

Sandy

Also, I have a small LTD check from the job I had when I became SCI. That one, to my knowledge, won't go up. But hey, it's money, and I paid for it, so I'll take what I get.

Edited by Soryfam, 29 May 2011 - 01:04 AM.

[McRobb]

I am on disability and it is less than I would have received if I had been able to work to regirement age. And others are correct - it is based on what you paid in and will probably not change much.

If you have not worked enough hours for your own payment and are working off your parents or a spouse's payments, that is different. If your spouse dies in that case, you have option of taking their payment or a % of it. In many cases if you have your own work history, you are better off staying with it and you may not have the option of that change. Not sure on that. My mother never worked out of home and she got benefits based on dad's history. If he had died, her payment would have gone up to equal his payment but that was only about double what she had been getting.

I have a mentally disabled neice and both her parents are dead. Her payment went up (SS disability) when one of her sibling reached 18 and was dropped from SS. The amount was figured by fewer offspring and so she got a substansial raise - several hundred dollalrs a month.

I have insurance disability payments right now but they will end when I am 65. Right now, I am not eligible for any other programs because my husband's and my payments together and the insurance payments make too much to qualify (but only a few dollars more). Once that decreases, we should be eligible for help with taxes and some other benefits that we cannot get now. Actually, I would get a lot more help dollar wise if I did not have the extra payment but I am glad it is the way it is for now.

Someone told me that when I turned 65, my SS should go up as I would switch from being disabled to being retired but not sure if that is correct. When you are disabled, you get lower payment because you are on SS earlier than you should be. I was told at time of my accident that mine would not go up.

Good luck.

[wheeliebear75]

If you are on S.S.I. it being married will effect your income.

[Hapahowlee]

It all depends on what type of income you receive from SSA.

My hubby receives SSDI and the only thing that causes any problems is if he makes over $980 (2009 figures) from his part time job. It seems at though the cap is raised about $40 per year, so it may be up to $1060 by now.

There hasn't been any raises for SSDI recipients for the past 2 years.

If you get married your SSDI stays the same. Since I'm the able-bodies spouse I can make as much as I want. My income has no bearing on my hubby's SSDI payments.

My husband was married to his first wife when he was injured and began receiving SSDI. His wife received a monthly payment and the 2 children also received a monthly check that stops when they turn 18 or graduate from High School, whichever happens first.

When my husband divorced his first wife, she continued to receive payments for herself until she remarried.

The SSA website has a lot more information regarding the rules. It just all depends on which type of income your receive. I know with SSI, there are a lot more hassels regarding any extra income or assets.

If you can't find your answers on here or on the SSA website, call your local office. Go down and meet with someone. Make sure you keep accurate notes in case you run into a problem later on.

Good luck.

Hapa

[Toerag]

I get $48 per week. My fiance pays for everything, it's really degrading. To top it off, I can't get a job. No one returns my calls or emails. All the work I do is voluntary.

[dangerousdave]

Not leagaly

[qbounce]

My wife didn't get payments after I was injured. Well, she had a full-time job. So, that might have had a lot to answer for it. Also, we were a couple of DINK's (Double Income No Kids) at the time, too. Maybe the fact that she wasn't a US citizen had something to do with it? I'm going with that one. Damn Swiss neutrality!

Also, I divorced and remarried with no income change in between. The money is allocated to the disabled person only, and not the spouse.

[Hapahowlee]

Something I forgot to address in my previous post is INCOME TAX -

I believe this all depends on the type of income you receive from SSA, but with SSDI your income is not taxable if it is under a certain amount. Something to look up on the website.

The limits are different for single and married couples. In this case it does matter what your spouse makes. If you are married and your combined income is over a certain amount, disability income is taxable.