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Well this is certainly interesting. I had about 30 months of disability benefits where I was unable to work the first 18 months and then returned to work, which triggered the Trial Work Period during which I was able to continue receiving benefits while working - with benefits ending after the 12-month trial work period.
Since I did not yet have 35 years of earnings, I expected to receive a modest annual benefit increase (on top of the annual COLA) during the trial work period because two of the zero years would be replaced by my earnings over the two calendar years in my trial work period.
I'm reading this as saying that since my earnings record was frozen at the disability onset, that's why my benefit did not increase on the basis of my trial work period earnings, but those earnings will be reflected in a benefit increase once I reach FRA?
Not enough information. Without knowing the actual dates for the twp and end of disability, I can't state with certainty whether you should or should not have received an increase in benefits during your TWP or immediately thereafter because of the following:
Here's how it works: Assume you had earnings in 2013. If you continued to receive benefits in 2014, you would receive a notice in November 2014 indicating your benefits had changed because of the 2013 earnings. The same goes for earnings in 2014 - you would have received a similar notice advising you of the recalculation in November 2015. The change is retroactive.
However, would you have received a notice in November if your TWP ended and you were no longer receiving disability benefits? I don't know. Perhaps your income was not enough to raise your retirement benefit. If the earnings was sufficient to raise your benefit even one dollar it should be reflected in your estimated retirement benefit. Now that you are no longer disabled, are you able to access your online account? If not, you can call the 800# or visit the local office to obtain the estimated benefit amount.
Here's what would scare me if I were depending on subsidized housing. The amount of money given by the federal government to subsidize the senior's rent is determined on an annual basis. Like any agency, HUD requests a certain amount for its various programs and Congress either agrees to the funding or it does not. Or, there is some "negotiating" between Congress and the President. I remember in 2013 when providers were freaking out because the government funding for Meals on Wheels was slashed. I also recall that SNAP benefits (food stamps) were cut just one or two years ago.
I suppose one could get an idea how things might go after the next election but I'd still not depend on subsidized senior housing being available for more than one or two years. I just couldn't do it. I've worked with seniors, the homeless and the near homeless. When taxes are cut, the services providing assistance to the most vulnerable populations are cut first. It is what it is. Always have a backup plan.
Here's what would scare me if I were depending on subsidized housing. The amount of money given by the federal government to subsidize the senior's rent is determined on an annual basis. Like any agency, HUD requests a certain amount for its various programs and Congress either agrees to the funding or it does not. Or, there is some "negotiating" between Congress and the President. I remember in 2013 when providers were freaking out because the government funding for Meals on Wheels was slashed. I also recall that SNAP benefits (food stamps) were cut just one or two years ago.
I suppose one could get an idea how things might go after the next election but I'd still not depend on subsidized senior housing being available for more than one or two years. I just couldn't do it. I've worked with seniors, the homeless and the near homeless. When taxes are cut, the services providing assistance to the most vulnerable populations are cut first. It is what it is. Always have a backup plan.
SNAP wasn't actually cut at the Federal Level. An extra $45 billion was added to the program as part of the stimulus and that ended in 2013. So SNAP actually just reverted back to what it was before the stimulus.
Same happened in K-12 education. Everyone thought the Fed cut funds but it was the stimulus money that ran out.
Here's what would scare me if I were depending on subsidized housing. The amount of money given by the federal government to subsidize the senior's rent is determined on an annual basis. Like any agency, HUD requests a certain amount for its various programs and Congress either agrees to the funding or it does not. Or, there is some "negotiating" between Congress and the President. I remember in 2013 when providers were freaking out because the government funding for Meals on Wheels was slashed. I also recall that SNAP benefits (food stamps) were cut just one or two years ago.
I suppose one could get an idea how things might go after the next election but I'd still not depend on subsidized senior housing being available for more than one or two years. I just couldn't do it. I've worked with seniors, the homeless and the near homeless. When taxes are cut, the services providing assistance to the most vulnerable populations are cut first. It is what it is. Always have a backup plan.
...and it's not just at the Federal level. A very large number of states are also in a huge bind. Unfunded pension liabilities. Health care costs with Medicaid chewing up 1/3 of the state budget. Unlike the Federal government where most rich people have nowhere to go since other first world tax rates are higher than the United States, you can't jack up taxes on rich people at the state level or an awful lot of them will simply move to lower tax states.
Not enough information. Without knowing the actual dates for the twp and end of disability, I can't state with certainty whether you should or should not have received an increase in benefits during your TWP or immediately thereafter because of the following:
Here's how it works: Assume you had earnings in 2013. If you continued to receive benefits in 2014, you would receive a notice in November 2014 indicating your benefits had changed because of the 2013 earnings. The same goes for earnings in 2014 - you would have received a similar notice advising you of the recalculation in November 2015. The change is retroactive.
However, would you have received a notice in November if your TWP ended and you were no longer receiving disability benefits? I don't know. Perhaps your income was not enough to raise your retirement benefit. If the earnings was sufficient to raise your benefit even one dollar it should be reflected in your estimated retirement benefit. Now that you are no longer disabled, are you able to access your online account? If not, you can call the 800# or visit the local office to obtain the estimated benefit amount.
I never set up an online account because I didn't have a PC, then I had a PC with only unsecured wifi available (didn't want to access an account unsecured) than I had home internet and just never got around to it.
For some weird reason I have received only ONE of those supposed "annual statements" in the mail in over 30 years of working.
Before Obamacare was instituted, 30 million americans lived without health insurance. They just didn't have it for economic reasons or being unconcerned or lackadaisical about a need for it.
So I would imagine there were plenty of older people who were among that 30 million (along with young & middle aged)
I would also imagine there are a good number of people waiting to turn 65 to obtain Medicare who did not have health insurance previous to Obamacare, and some still perhaps do not have it now, despite a penalty.
SNAP wasn't actually cut at the Federal Level. An extra $45 billion was added to the program as part of the stimulus and that ended in 2013. So SNAP actually just reverted back to what it was before the stimulus.
Same happened in K-12 education. Everyone thought the Fed cut funds but it was the stimulus money that ran out.
There was a SNAP increase in the first "stimulus" package, which I think was extended through a second stimulus package. When that ended, SNAP benefits reverted to some previous level, leading some to regard it as a cut. A couple years ago I found an online SNAP calculator and found i did not qualify because my net was above poverty level.
At some time in the past two years or so, there was a big boost in SNAP eligibility because childless workers in my state now qualify up to about $21,000 gross, but I don't know when that happened.
I never set up an online account because I didn't have a PC, then I had a PC with only unsecured wifi available (didn't want to access an account unsecured) than I had home internet and just never got around to it.
For some weird reason I have received only ONE of those supposed "annual statements" in the mail in over 30 years of working.
They are now re starting to mail out statement. They did for a while and then stop.
That's why I always see a big line for the local food bank (mostly elderly) when I pass by it on the way home from work. Many people are low income most or all of their lives which makes it difficult to away anything useful for retirement. It's a sad situation.
No pension...no savings. She does have health insurance through her job.
So the question I have is, did that just happen? Did she just now find out that she had no pension? Did someone steal her savings?
Because that's the way it sounds. It sounds as if she just woke up on her 65th birthday and discovered to her horror that Social Security was all she had.
Everyone can see where I am headed......................
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