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Obamacare Exchanges Are Doing OK Despite Withdrawls of Some Insurance Companies
The high profile withdrawals of a few national insurers from Obamacare exchanges have some experts wondering whether the exchanges are entering a death spiral. The companies’ reports of large losses have led to speculation that the exchanges are unsustainable... Despite the losses suffered by some insurance companies, many others are turning a profit according to a recent report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
How to Calculate One's Social Security Monthly Benefit Amount
Matthew Frankel, CFP, from The Motley Fool has written a step-by-step method to determine one's expected Social Security benefit.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/much-social-security-step-step-123300413.html
Step 1: Determine whether you qualify for a retirement benefit
Step 2: Adjust all of your annual earnings for inflation
Step 3: Find the 35 highest inflation-adjusted years
Step 4: Calculate your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME)
Step 5: Determine your primary insurance amount (PIA)
Step 6: Adjust for your claiming age
Open the link to get all of the details, including formulas.
Social Security Adds Five Conditions to the Compassionate Allowance List
Social Security Expands Compassionate Allowance List
Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, announced on August 20, 2018 five new Compassionate Allowance conditions: Fibrolamellar Cancer, Megacystis Microcolon Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome (MMIHS), Megalencephaly Capillary Malformation Syndrome (MCAP), Superficial Siderosis of the Central Nervous System, and Tetrasomy 18p. Compassionate Allowances is a program to quickly identify medical conditions and serious diseases that meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits.
The Compassionate Allowances program identifies claims where the applicant’s disease or condition clearly meets Social Security’s statutory standard for disability. Due to the severe nature of many of these conditions, these claims are often allowed based on medical confirmation of the diagnosis alone. The list has grown to a total of 233 conditions, including diseases such as pancreatic cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and acute leukemia.
The agency incorporates leading technology to easily identify potential Compassionate Allowances and make quick decisions. For disability cases not covered by this program, Social Security’s Health IT brings the speed and efficiency of electronic medical records to the disability determination process. When a person applies for disability benefits, Social Security must obtain medical records in order to make an accurate determination. It may take weeks for health care organizations to provide records for the applicant’s case. With electronic records transmission, Social Security is able to quickly obtain a claimant’s medical information, review it, and make a determination faster than ever before.
For more information about the program, including a list of all Compassionate Allowances conditions, please visit https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/.
To learn more about Social Security’s Health IT program, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/hit.
Social Security Regional Office telephone numbers to check on the status of claims
From Matthew Baxter, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist:
It was recently brought to my attention that our field offices occasionally receive calls from representatives, though not necessarily from your firm/organization, concerning the status of their clients’ disability claims and appeals. Please remember that these inquiries should be directed to our regional processing centers.
For disability cases involving clients aged under 53, please consult this chart:
https://www.ssa.gov/representation/pct_contact_info_under54.htm
For disability cases involving clients aged 54 and older:
https://www.ssa.gov/representation/pct_contact_info_54older.htm
Please let me know if you have any questions or whether I can be of any other assistance.
Best regards,
Matthew Baxter
Public Affairs Specialist
Social Security Administration
920 West Basin Road, Suite 200
New Castle, DE 19720
Phone: 1-877-651-7130 ext. 21570
Fax: 302-323-0845
Email: Matthew.Baxter@ssa.gov
SSI Benefits and Joint Bank Accounts
Dealing with bank accounts of SSI recipients when the funds do not belong to the recipient.
There are several reasons why an SSI recipient may be named on a bank account that belongs to someone else, and generally that bank account should not count as a resource for the SSI recipient. However, problems can occur when ownership of a bank account is not clear to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which can lead SSA to stop SSI benefits due to excess resources.
The National Center for Law and Elder Rights has some ideas to deal with this problem in their July 2018 practice tip SSI Benefits and Joint Bank Accounts.
SSI Benefits and Joint Bank Accounts
Dealing with bank accounts of SSI recipients when the funds do not belong to the recipient.
There are several reasons why an SSI recipient may be named on a bank account that belongs to someone else, and generally that bank account should not count as a resource for the SSI recipient. However, problems can occur when ownership of a bank account is not clear to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which can lead SSA to stop SSI benefits due to excess resources.
The National Center for Law and Elder Rights has some ideas to deal with this problem in their July 2018 practice tip. SSI Benefits and Ownership of Joint Bank Accounts
The Office of Administrative Hearings now has a searchable database of selected decisions.
SSA expands online wage reporting through mySocial Security to SSI recipients and their rep payees.
I am pleased to announce that we are expanding our my Social Security online wage reporting service to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, as well as their spouses, parents, sponsors, and representative payees. Individuals receiving both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and SSI, as well as their representative payees, can also report wages online. This service is available through our existing my Social Security portal. Check our website to learn more about my Social Security features and how to sign up. Note: SSI recipients, their spouses, parents, sponsors,
and representative payees may still use the SSI Mobile Wage Reporting and SSI
Telephone Wage Reporting applications. However, the preferred wage reporting
method for individuals receiving both SSDI and SSI is the my Social Security online
wage reporting service. Sincerely, Matthew Baxter
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Maryland Medicaid to cover cochlear implants & hearing aids for adults
From Diasabilty Rights Maryland:
Subject: Maryland Medicaid to cover cochlear implants & hearing aids for adults
See:
Updated chart for special enrollment periods under the ACA
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has published an updated chart on the events that trigger a special enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act. Normally one can only enroll in a health plan through the exchange during a now limited open enrollment period. However certain events can permit one to enroll at any time. The chart sets out information about these "special enrollment periods."
http://www.healthreformbeyondthebasics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SEP-Reference-Chart.pdf
Trustees Report on the Social Security Trust Funds
On June 5, 2018 the Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. Social Security is NOT going bankrupt.
The OASI Trust Fund (retirement and survivors’ benefits) is projected to become depleted in late 2034, as compared to last year’s estimate of early 2035, with 77 percent of benefits payable at that time. The DI Trust Fund (disability benefits) will become depleted in 2032, extended from last year’s estimate of 2028, with 96 percent of benefits still payable.
With no action from Congress, Social Security can continue to provide 100% of the retirement benefits people are owed until 2034. After that, even if absolutely no changes were made, beneficiaries would still receive 77% of their benefits. People receiving disability benefits will get their full benefit check until 2032 and, if Congress makes no changes, they will receive 96% of their benefits thereafter.
You can read the entire report by clicking here.
The Baltimore Social Security office at the Rotunda will close June 22, 2018.
Social Security is closing many local offices nationwide, perhaps as many as 125 since 2000. This makes it more difficult for the elderly and people with disablities to access services and get information.
Read more at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-social-security-office-closing-20180516-story.html
Information on Medicare Savings Programs (QMB & SLMB) as of March 2018
Information on income and resource eligibility for the Medicare Savings Programs (QMB & SLMB) and what those programs cover.
How Medicaid Work Requirements Will Harm Older Adults & Family Caregivers
A new law will bring added oversight to Social Security's representative payee program. (From Disability Scoop)
Trump Signs Bill Adding Protections For Social Security, SSI Recipients
by Shaun Heasley | April 17, 2018
Individuals tasked with handling Social Security payments for people with disabilities will be subject to greater scrutiny under a new law signed by President Donald Trump.
The president signed the measure known as the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018, or H.R. 4547, late last week after it was unanimously approved by Congress.
The legislation will impose greater oversight on representative payees who manage Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for those who need assistance.
Specifically, the law bars people with certain types of criminal convictions from acting as representative payees and prevents individuals who have representative payees themselves from serving in that capacity for others. And, it will give beneficiaries more say in who handles money on their behalf by allowing Social Security recipients to make a list of their preferred payees in order of preference.
Meanwhile, the legislation will require that protection and advocacy groups in each state — federally-mandated organizations that provide legal assistance and advocate for people with disabilities — conduct more reviews of representative payee performance on behalf of the Social Security Administration.
In addition to enhancing oversight, the measure will also eliminate a requirement that parents or spouses living with a person with a disability complete an annual accounting form for representative payees.
“This new law is great news for the millions of Social Security beneficiaries who rely on a representative payee to help them manage their benefits,” said U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who sponsored the legislation. “Not only will it provide much-needed accountability for the representative payee program, but it also puts measures into place that ensure newly selected representative payees are qualified and trustworthy.”
According to the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, some 6.2 million individuals or organizations act as representative payees on behalf of about 8 million beneficiaries. Such representatives are assigned if the agency determines that a person’s mental or physical condition prevents them from being able to manage their benefits.
Proponents of the legislation cited concerns from the Government Accountability Office, the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, the National Academy of Sciences and the Social Security Advisory Board about how Social Security officials have administered the representative payee program.
“For too long dishonest representative payees have exploited and abused people with disabilities without fear of being discovered,” said Curt Decker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, an umbrella group for the nation’s protection and advocacy organizations. “That stops today. We are thrilled to see that Congress has acted to protect the more than 8 million Americans who currently have representative payees.”
Elder Law articles
The MSBA Bar Bulletin, April 15, 2018, has a lot of good substantive articles on elder law topics - Adv Directives and MOLST, Guardianship changes, Social Security Disability changes, ABLE, new Medicare cards and MA-LTC rules about protecting the home under the Parental Care Rule.
New Budget Increases Some Programs for the Elderly
From Justice in Aging:
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New Budget Increases Some Programs for the Elderly
From Justice in Aging:
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SSA's Data on Hearing Delays at Office of Hearings Operations (formerly ODAR) Locations
The Soc. Sec. Admin. releases data the average time (in months) from the date of the hearing request until a hearing was held for cases closed in the Office of Hearings Operations' hearing offices or national hearing centers.
Baltimore City 17 months
Natiional Hearing Cntr, Balt. 17.5 months
Dover, DE 17 months
Morgantown, WV 21 months
Washington 20 months
Social Security and SSI benefits to increase by 2% in 2018
The Social Security Administration has announced that based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2017, monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase 2.0 percent in 2018.
The 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 61 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2018. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 29, 2017.
The monthly SSI Federal Payment Standard will increase to $750 for an individual and to $1125 for a couple.
The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) monthly threshold will be $1180. The Trial Work Period (TWP) monthly threshold will be $850.
One will need to earn $1320 in 2018 to receive credit for a quarter of coverage.
Here is a link to a fact sheet that contains more facts and figures for Social Security benefits in 2018: https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/colafacts2018.pdf
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