Imagine not being able to marry or even live with the person you love. The recently released documentary Patrice: The Movie, now available on Hulu, addresses this emotionally challenging conundrum. Patrice Jetter and Garry Wickham are the main characters in this touching film. They have both lived with disabilities their whole lives and receive disability benefits from the government.

If you rely on Social Security disability benefits programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the year ahead will offer a somewhat minimal amount of relief financially.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) issued its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 on October 10, 2024. This coming year, the COLA will increase by 2.5 percent. The average increase over the past decade, according to the SSA, has hovered around 2.6 percent. The highest adjustment in recent years, an increase of 8.7 percent, went into effect in 2023.

Over the past year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been making numerous improvements to its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. These changes, some of which became official this past week, will make things a bit easier for SSI applicants as well as current recipients.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has published a final rule simplifying and expanding its rental subsidy program for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Effective September 30, 2024, the new rule is likely to allow more people to qualify for SSI. In addition, some current SSI recipients may see an increase in their monthly benefit amount as a result. The rule change is part of a broader agency effort to streamline certain aspects of the SSI program.

SSI applicants and recipients may want to talk to a special needs planning lawyer about the new rule if they have questions about how it affects them.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced a major change regarding how it calculates In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) for recipients of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. Beginning later this year, the SSA will no longer count “free food” as income.

The final rule, which appeared in the Federal Register on March 27, 2024, also clarifies the SSA’s definition of “income.” The new rule will go into effect on September 30, 2024.

Because of their disability, a person receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may not have worked long enough to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits on their own work record. Therefore, once they meet the government’s strict physical or mental disability requirements and fall under SSI’s income and asset caps, the SSI recipient might assume that they will never obtain SSDI benefits in the future.

However, this is not always the case. In fact, many SSI recipients who became disabled prior to turning 22 years old may begin to receive SSDI benefits when one of their parents retires, becomes disabled, or passes away.

How can you ensure that your special needs child will remain well cared for and secure once others assume the role of guardian or caregiver? While creating a financial plan and establishing a specialized trust are central to preparing for your child's future, special needs planners also advise families to write down their intentions and expectations in a document referred to as a Memorandum of Intent, also known as a "Letter of Intent."

Among adults aged 18 and older in the United States, estimates suggest that about 125,000 have Down syndrome (DS). It remains the main genetic cause of intellectual disability that qualifies individuals automatically for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and, in turn, Medicaid. Yet very limited research exists on how adults with DS use Medicaid compared with other groups.

Currently, individuals who acquired a severe disability prior to age 22 are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on a parent’s work record.

However, if a young person with a disability then wishes to pursue employment opportunities as they transition into adulthood, they may put themselves as risk of losing another benefit, the Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit.

In June 2023, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and a group of fellow senators reintroduced a bipartisan bill, known as the Work Without Worry Act.

Designed to allow adults with serious, lifelong disabilities to work without becoming ineligible for certain benefits, the legislation could aid about 6,000 individuals with disabilities over the coming decade if it passes.

If you are an individual with a disability who holds an ABLE account, your annual contributions to this type of account generally must not exceed $17,000 a year, as of 2023. However, ABLE account owners who are employed can contribute their work income to this type of account beyond the typical $17,000 annual threshold until the end of 2025.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects children as they develop. People with autism have differences in the brain relating to behavior, communication, and learning, as well as how they interact with others.

ASD is marked by difficulty with social situations. Yet, autism exists on a spectrum and affects individuals in varying ways. While some with ASD are nonverbal, others have advanced conversation skills. Some on the spectrum need more extensive daily help and support than others.

New developments in technology could help diagnose children earlier and provide additional support.

n 2022, the cost of raising a child in the U.S. to age 17 was roughly $17,000 per year. For families of children with disabilities, that estimate runs far higher.

The costs of such necessities as health interventions and behavioral therapies, assistive technology, medications, child care, and sensory-friendly items can mean parents raising a child with autism to adulthood will pay about $60,000 annually, according to nonprofit Autism Speaks. Depending on the severity of the child’s disability, those costs can easily escalate further.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who meet certain criteria outlined by the Social Security Administration (SSA) may be able to secure public benefits that can offset these costs to some degree.

A newly proposed rule by the Social Security Administration (SSA) could ultimately change the way “in-kind income” is defined for recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Lois Curtis – known as “L.C.” in a historic disability rights case — has died. She passed away from cancer at her home in November 2022 at age 55.

Curtis, who had intellectual and psychiatric impairments, was institutionalized from her teenage years into her early 20s. She and another plaintiff, Elaine Wilson, eventually went on to fight for their right to live in their community rather than being unnecessarily institutionalized.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a monthly payment issued to disabled children and adults who have income and resources that are under an amount set by the Social Security Administration (SSA). There are many important factors that determine your eligibility for SSI. SSI recipients are responsible for reporting changes to the SSA when they happen. The following are three examples of what must be reported by SSI recipients.

To qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a federal program that provides people with disabilities a monthly stipend, individuals must conform to very strict income and asset limits. Often, SSI beneficiaries who could hold a job opt not to because they worry about losing their benefits if they earn too much. While this is a valid concern, a program known as PASS offers these individuals the opportunity to pursue their professional ambitions while continuing to receive SSI payment.