SSI increases by 2.3 percent in 2008

[Barb]

Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for more than 54 million Americans will increase 2.3 percent in 2008, the Social Security Administration announced today.

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically each year based on the rise in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), from the third quarter of the prior year to the corresponding period of the current year. This year's increase in the CPI-W was 2.3 percent.

The 2.3 percent Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that nearly 50 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2008. Increased payments to more than 7 million Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will begin on December 31.

Some other changes that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $102,000 from $97,500. Of the estimated 164 million workers who will pay Social Security taxes in 2008, nearly 12 million will pay higher taxes as a result of the increase in the taxable maximum.

Information about Medicare changes for 2008 can be found at www.cms.hhs.gov (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/).

[lisamarie6801]

Hey, I'm new to the site so I'm just now checking out all these posts! Speaking of SS, here's been our recent experience!:mad:Once I divorced I knew I would need to be making much more money to support us all on one income. I was busy attending college for Psychology and all this kind of came crashing down on me. So I took a quick 18 month course at a local community college with a 95% hire rate making good money as an aircraft mechanic! So I enrolled and the 18 months flew by. I hired on at our local air force base. They start you out at around 13.50 at 30 hours per week until you complete 640 hours. (An internship in a way) At the completion of those hours, you go full time @ 40 hours per week and your pay bumps up to a minimum of 18.50 an hour......(Great for OK!). So I called SS to report the changes. This was March of 06. I went into SS for an "Update Appointment" in March of this year. Come to find out, 2 years ago when I called to report the income changes, the worker never put it in the system!!! My daughter at that point no longer qualified and now we have an over payment of $12,000!!! I was devestated at first...wondering how I am going to get this taken care of. Now that a month has passed for it to sink it, I'm outraged!! This woman (case worker) does this for a living! Just because she had a busy day or w/e the case may of been, our family is now responsible for a 12k debt! I make great money but still, for a single mom with 4 kids, 12k is a BIG PROBLEM to fit in the monthly income! I am in the process of filing an appeal and hiring an attorney. We'll see how it goes. Just a note to ALWAYS do it in writing!:eek:

[angel]

I always hated SSI. I was on it most of my life cause i was raised by a single mom. When i started working i reported my income right away. It took them OVER A YEAR to get the process through then i get a letter in the mail about a huge overpayment as well. Just one of the many horrors i have gone through with them and don't even get me started on medicaid!!!!!!!!! I am happy to not qualify for any of it anymore. I would rather work myself into the ground than deal with those people ever again!!!!

[kkkmom]

Lisa,
I have experience something similar. I to was a single mom and in 05 my kids dadd was killed and they started recieving survivors benifits. The ss forgot to update and sent me a bill a year later. I appealed and showed that it would cause a hard ship and they for gave the amount owed. It did take a lot of going in and proving that it was difficult for me to pay them. But in the long run it was worth it.

[mommy2cnj]

I'm reading these posts and thinking, oh yeah, we're all in the same boat.......unfortunately!!

At our current office, we've had 2 different caseworkers. With the 1st (also being the 3rd), we've had so many discrepancies, it's to the point of being labelled outrageous. We, having 2 children's cases to *ahem* have them figure out, it's beyond the imagineable....then again, perhaps not! :sign0020:

While the 1st/3rd worker has handled our case, I have continuously had to write in to let her know she's made a mistake. Not only should they keep documentation of this, I as well keep my documentation. (I've needed this in more than 1 issue.) Two times, she has "disregarded" my notice of her mistake. I've then had to call the national #, who in turn, tells me to call the local #, then I in turn let them know of the errors that have been made with the local office. A light bulb turns on when I ask them if they want to lose money.......funny how fast things turn around and you actually get a listening ear when you mention the word money. *eyeroll* In overpayment situations, I just make out the check when I'm aware of it and send it off.

I mailed out a check to our 2nd worker (who only made the 1 mistake...I'm proud). After countless times of mailing off a check to the 1st/3rd worker and it being taken care of), the one time I mail out a check to the 2nd worker, I get a phone call.....2 weeks later.....on a SUNDAY afternoon.......from a lady I've never dealt with before..........saying they will NOT accept my check, that I have to wait for the overpayment to be registered through their computer system and have to get overpayment paperwork FIRST, before I can send a check to them; she mailed the check back to me. Erm.......am I wrong to say they're trying to put us folk in a catch 22??!! :33a: