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.

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.

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.

Parents of adult children with disabilities know that their child's disability needs may change over the course of their lifetime. Planning for the future well-being of an adult child with disabilities is, therefore, a responsive, ongoing process.

The life expectancy of many adults with disabilities has increased over time. For example, according to research, life expectancy for adults with Down Syndrome rose from 25 in 1983 to 60 in 2020. Those with cerebral palsy, the most common motor disability of US children, may often live into their 50s.

The ever-increasing life expectancies of people with disabilities mean that comprehensive special needs planning requires short- and long-term planning.

The announcement about the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2024 is now out, and it’s good news for disability benefits recipients. Those who rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) will soon see a 3.2 percent increase in their monthly payments.

It has been a tumultuous few years. Amid a continuing pandemic, tense midterm elections, and a war in Ukraine, we have grappled with more than our fair share of grim news.

However, with the new year upon us, there are some silver linings — in particular for seniors.

Here are five reasons for seniors to celebrate in 2023:

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.

The Social Security Administration has announced that its beneficiaries will see a significant increase – totaling nearly 9 percent – in their monthly Social Security checks come January 2023. This cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is the largest boost to Social Security benefits in more than 40 years. The increase for 2022 was 5.9 percent.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which helps support millions of limited-income people with disabilities, will provide recipients with a slightly higher payout – on average, $73 more a month for individuals and $110 more a month for couples – beginning on December 30, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently started to focus on finding ways to support family caregivers by assisting them with resources to maintain their health, well-being, and financial security while they act as caregivers. As part of this, it has announced the implementation of a 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

HHS estimates that approximately 53 million people provide a broad range of assistance to their aging, health-compromised, or disabled loved ones each year. Millions more open their homes to grandparents as well as children who cannot live with their parents.

Affordable, safe housing is one of the most crucial aspects of a person’s life, especially if that person has a disability. Parents and guardians must plan for this as early as possible to make sure their loved one has a secure and appropriate living situation long after they either become unable to provide care or pass away. Here are some general considerations to keep in mind when formulating a plan. The plan that works best for your family should be affordable in the long term and best suited to your loved one’s disability.