Effective June 1, 2011, the office in Great Falls, MT which has been used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) for hearings has been closed. The closure means that people in the area who have filed an appeal for a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) case will now have to travel to other locations.
Until about a decade ago, most of us knew little about how much money we had contributed to the Social Security Administration (SSA). While our check stubs usually provided year-to-date totals, and our W-2 forms gave us the total amount for the entire calendar year, determining our lifetime contributions to the fund would have required detailed, long-term record keeping.
Contrary to popular belief, if you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you may still have an opportunity to work. Under the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s Ticket to Work program, you can qualify for employment training services.
A Perham, Minnesota man has been charged with fraudulently receiving Social Security Disability benefits. Wayne A. Larson, age 54, had begun receiving benefits in June of 1995. However, Larson returned to work in the construction field in August of 2005 and failed to report this fact to the Social Security Administration (SSA). As a result, he wrongfully received over $24,000 in benefits from the SSA. He could be sentenced to 10 years in prison or a fine or both for each count he faces.
For reasons that are not completely clear, the number of Americans who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits due to mental illness has increased significantly over the last quarter-century or so. In 1987, 1 in 184 people qualified for benefits; by 2007, that number had increased to 1 in 76, an increase of 284%.
