So I got my SSDI today..

[Willy Wonka]

and I see a friggin raise of $18. That's with Medicare Part B (I'm opting out on March in favor for a better heath care plan that my wife qualified for)...

Fuck you * and the horse you rode on, fuckwad.

[alfredo]

1. Mine didn't show this month. My postal disability did show a $14

increase. I will wait and see if there is any change in my SSDI.

Don't ask me how I got both, but I did. I had to sign up for SSDI to qualify for postal disability. It was just a formality. Three months later I got accepted.

[Dr.Phool]

2. Railroad Retirement

I got a $52 increase.

[Syrinx]

3. better save as much of it as you can

The Republicans are going to nuke SSI. Bank on it.

[salvorhardin]

4. SSD is different from SSI

SSD is "regular" social security. You can draw it if you are disabled and have enough quarters paid into the system, but are not young enough to retire. SSI is Suplemental Security Income and you can draw it if you are disabled or beyond retirement age. SSI is designed to supplement regular social security (or in those cases where a person doesn't have enough quarters or never paid into the system, it replaces it entirely).

SSI is very restrictive. You can not have assets (excluding your home) of greater than $1500.

I am very afraid though that SSD, SSI and HUD programs will be among the first to be slashed.

[Syrinx]

5. sorry for my confusion

It all is very confusing. But I share your concern that an all-Republican government is going to be very harsh in dealing with programs that actually help people.

[salvorhardin]

6. It is very confusing!

The system is, arguably, overcomplicated at best and designed to be that way to help insure many people do not get the assistance they need at worst. Further, actually getting SSD/SSI is a degrading, overly long and contentious process that often times takes a year or more. Yet we are in danger of losing even that buggy, overly bureaucratic system and thanks to Clinton's 1996 welfare reform (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act), it is assured that once someone loses their social security payments that they can expect no more than five years of assistance through 'welfare' programs -- assuming they didn't have to go on welfare in the first place while waiting to receive disability status, in which case that time would be counted against their five years.