Long Island NY Social Security Disability Law Blog

Receiving Social Security disability payments is a benefit for many workers who have suffered an injury or illness on the job. These payments can assist workers as they work to recover. Sometimes the worker can return to work after a time, in other cases those injured at work in New York are unable to return to work and must count on the Social Security Administration for the remainder of their lives.

The Social Security Administration recently announced that it will no longer be able to fully meet its obligations beginning in 2033. This date represents a combined date for both the Social Security retirement program and the Social Security disability system. The actual possible date for depletion of the Social Security disability funds was reported as 2016. This is much sooner than the retirement fund exhaustion date of 2035.

The return to work programs of the Social Security Administration can benefit New York recipients who are advancing in their recovery. These programs seek to assist injured or ill workers who find that they are able to do at least some work. Often a worker can continue to receive Social Security disability benefits even as they begin to start work again.

A program funded by Congress has assisted many workers in locating return to work programs. Called Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA), the programs help recipients in planning for returning to work. However, in this uncertain economic climate, the future funding for these programs has come into question.

For many, coping with a mental disability is a daily challenge. Finding acceptance in society and trying to fit in at a workplace can be a difficult task, while still maintaining one's self-esteem. Dealing with a Social Security disability claim is the last thing a New York resident with qualifying mental conditions needs to encounter, especially in a struggling job market. Recently, a man, who is in his late 20s, has been pursued by his state unemployment office for what they say is a $3,000 overpayment of benefits as the result of an issue with his disability income.

The case originated because the man, who was previously able to hold a full-time job, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. When he lost his job, he applied for and received unemployment compensation. On the advice of a doctor, he also applied for Social Security disability benefits, and his application was ultimately granted based on qualifying mental conditions. As is the typical procedure, he was paid those benefits retroactively to the date he first applied, and in doing so, the payments overlapped those of the state unemployment agency. Now, the unemployment commission contends the man received $3,000 more than he was entitled to and they are demanding its return.

The Social Security Administration is reminding those receiving benefits to be careful to protect their personal information after a report of several benefit thefts. Whether on Long Island or in any part of New York, residents should contact the agency if they do not receive their payments. In most cases, payments can be reissued by the Social Security Administration in the event they have been lost or stolen.

Recently, it was reported that a 67-year-old man receiving Social Security benefits since 1995 had two payments stolen as he was in the process of switching to direct deposit. The Social Security Administration reports that it is investigating the case. It is suspected that the personal information of the benefit recipient was intercepted and used to convince an SSA employee to route payments onto several Walmart money cards.