Social Security disability and getting help with a better mobile home

[dalek]

What is the name of your state? MS

I'm disabled and on SSDI. I worked as long as I could so SSI was a bad option income wise. I'm currently living in a mobile home that is about as old as me, 50 years or so old. Needless to say, despite taking as good a care of it as I could, it's better days are long gone. I was approached a week or so ago about some people in the neighborhood and a couple local churches wanting to help me get a better place. I'm pushing toward 60 so I just need something that will last me the rest of my days, hopefully anyway. I'm not looking for or expecting a new place, just new to me. Anything home related is seriously expensive right now. Given what they willing to do, it could get pricey. Some things I'm grandfathered in on now will have to be updated as well before anything new to live in would be allowed. Power and sewer being two of those things. Neither is cheap. The person I talked to was made aware of this.

They asked me to set up a account on a website that is like gofundme but is done by churches and such. Name doesn't matter but it is the same thing as gofundme. People go there, donate and I use the money for what the purpose of the money is. If I set up a account, or if they do it, and start getting donations, will that affect my disability? Would it be counted as income and cause problems? Is there a good way to go about this? Would them even helping me at all affect my disability?

Without this option, I'm stuck where I am. Making payments on anything better than what I have just isn't a option. Just looking to find out if I'm able to get help without causing a lot of trouble with SS rules.

I tried reaching out the attorney that helped me get on disability. I think something must have happened to him since we last emailed. Website gone and no answer when I called. Kinda worries me. I was in such a mess I couldn't handle dealing with SS at the time.

Looking for thoughts on this before I start a problem due to ignorance.

 

[adjusterjack]

will that affect my disability? Would it be counted as income and cause problems? Is there a good way to go about this? Would them even helping me at all affect my disability?

The SSA website used to be arranged so one could easily find information on what constitutes reportable income and what effect it would have on benefits.

Well, it looks like somebody decided to rearrange it so that it's now impossible to find that information.

I strongly suggest that you and your potential donors go together to your local SSA office and lay this out for a representative who can show you how it works.

 

[Taxing Matters]

SSA disability (SSDI) is not the same as SSI. The former is based on having worked at least 10 years (40 quarters) to qualify for SSA old age benefits. Normally you have to wait until the minimum age to collect Social Security to get anything, but you can start getting benefits earlier if you are disabled. SSI is a needs based program for low income disabled people with few assets who don't meet the requirements for SSDI. The big difference between them is that SSDI has no limit on the amount of assets you may have and only restricts your income from substantial gainful activity (SGA), not from investments or other non work related income. However how much SSDI you get is determined in part by what other disability benefits you are receiving, like worker's comp or state disability benefits. With SSDI receiving gifts/donations from friends, family, your church, etc, will not result in a loss of benefits. Check out the SSA page on changes you must report to SSA. You'll see that an upgrade in your housing or increase in assets generally does not need to be reported because that doesn't affect your SSDI benefits. The SSA page on entering and exiting SSDI and SSI explains it more directly. It says in part:

The termination of benefits in the Social Security disability program is based predominantly on four factors: conversion to the retirement program (that is, attainment of full retirement age), death, medical recovery, and work recovery.

SSI, on the other hand, requires that the disabled person have very little and almost no assets. So with SSI any kind of substantial gift may result in a loss of benefits for some period of time.

That link for entering and exiting SSDI and SSI does a good job highlighting the differences in the two programs.

 

[dalek]

Taxing Matters, I only receive SS disability. I inherited a disorder that caused my disability so nothing work related. I did work longer than the Doctors said I should, might have been a mistake with hindsight tho. My income is low enough that Medicaid pays my monthly Medicare premiums for part B medical coverage, Doctor visits basically. If I understand your post correctly, I can set up a donation page and get help without it affecting my disability since I'm not doing work to get the help. It seems that SS income is only affected if I'm working for the income.

Adjusterjack, you have a good point. I did search trying to find something that would clearly say what I can do in a situation like this. It seems Govt websites try to make things hard to find. Try getting a straight answer from the IRS. LOL

Just trying to be sure before I do something wrong. I wish the lawyer I used was available. Odds are, he has ran into this before and knows from experience how to handle this. I'm glad that people want to help. Lots of good people here where I live.

 

[LdiJ]

Taxing Matters, I only receive SS disability. I inherited a disorder that caused my disability so nothing work related. I did work longer than the Doctors said I should, might have been a mistake with hindsight tho. My income is low enough that Medicaid pays my monthly Medicare premiums for part B medical coverage, Doctor visits basically. If I understand your post correctly, I can set up a donation page and get help without it affecting my disability since I'm not doing work to get the help. It seems that SS income is only affected if I'm working for the income.

Adjusterjack, you have a good point. I did search trying to find something that would clearly say what I can do in a situation like this. It seems Govt websites try to make things hard to find. Try getting a straight answer from the IRS. LOL

Just trying to be sure before I do something wrong. I wish the lawyer I used was available. Odds are, he has ran into this before and knows from experience how to handle this. I'm glad that people want to help. Lots of good people here where I live.

I am not entirely sure that you understand what Taxing Matters was talking about. There are two kinds of disability income SSDI (Social Security Disability Income) and SSI (Supplemental Security Income). There is no SS Disability. It is either SSDI or SSI. SSDI is for people who earned enough credits working that they qualify for it. SSI is for people who do not have work credits. Some people who have enough work credits to qualify but only for a small amount also receive some SSI. If any of your benefits come from SSI you can have very little in the way of assets before it effects your benefits. If Medicaid is paying your Medicare premiums you may possibly be receiving some SSI mixed into your benefits.

Please make sure that you know exactly what you are receiving and when you ask questions use the proper terminology for the benefits so that you get accurate answers.

 

[Taxing Matters]

My income is low enough that Medicaid pays my monthly Medicare premiums for part B medical coverage, Doctor visits basically.

While SSDI does not cap the amount of assets you can have or your non work income, Medicaid is a different story. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program so you'd need to know how these donations would be treated by the state Medicaid office.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I am not entirely sure that you understand what Taxing Matters was talking about. There are two kinds of disability income SSDI (Social Security Disability Income) and SSI (Supplemental Security Income). There is no SS Disability.

I was referring to SSDI, I just left off the word income.

 

[LdiJ]

I was referring to SSDI, I just left off the word income.

You did, but the OP just said SS disability. That is not very clear and he needs to be sure since a benefit low enough to cause Medicaid to pay his Medicare premiums could mean that part of his benefits are a supplement from SSI. I am making these numbers up but as an example if the SSI benefit would be 800.00 a month and the OP qualifies for 650.00 in SSDI based on his earnings history then he could possibly be getting 150.00 in SSI benefits to raise him to the 800.00 level.

 

[dalek]

This is what I recall from my conversation many years ago with my lawyer. When he did the paperwork, he applied for both and said that SS would work out the math to determine the best income for me. That is just how he does every case. However, because I worked and made decent money at the time, I didn't get any of the SSI benefit but only get what you call SSDI. I refer to it as SS disability. I'm not retired because of my age and I did work long enough that I paid into SS. I just have a medical problem that prevents me from working, and on some days, pretty much anything else too. I do have a SS account. I went and looked at it. According to the benefit letter, I get $0.00 in SSI. It says "You are entitled to monthly disability benefits." So, it appears that I am on what you call SSDI 100% and nothing SSI at all.

As to the Medicaid, I'm in what some refer to as a 'gap'. I don't qualify for full medicaid because my income is to high but am low enough in income to need help with the premiums for Part B. To be honest, to get a better place to live, I'd save enough on heating and cooling alone that I could pay my own premiums for a while if needed. I'd like to keep it because it does help but even if I know I will lose that help, I'd still start working on a better place to live. From my understanding, that gap is only about $200 or so. If I earned I think another $100, I'd earn to much and have to pay the part B premiums on my own.

I might add, one thing that has always concerned me is this. I was told I'd be in a wheelchair long ago. That was shortly after I got on disability. I still get around pretty well, although I do sometimes use a garden hoe or shovel to walk with when out in the little garden I have. I'm about 15 years or so past when the Doctors thought I'd be in a wheelchair. One day tho, it will likely happen. Where I am now, if I had to be in a wheelchair, I couldn't live here. Hallways and doors are not made for wheelchairs. Mobile home makers hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Pretty much every recently built mobile home I've been in has hallways and such that I could at least get through. Getting a new place will keep me out of assisted living or something a while longer too. I hope anyway.

If you need info, please let me know. I have no problem sharing info as long as it isn't something likely everyone would agree should not be made public like my SS number or something. ;-) To get help, you need info. :-D

 

[Taxing Matters]

It's wise to plan ahead to get a place that is wheel chair friendly if that prospect is in your future. You seem to have a good grasp of your Medicaid situation so you have what you need to make an informed decision on that.

I've found that when walking on uneven surfaces having a good walking pole that has interchangeable tips is very handy. One of them has a small spike that is useful for walking on potentially icy spots or using on soft ground to get more stability.

 

[dalek]

Yes, it is. On one hand, I hate to see this old place go. I grew up a lot in it. On the other hand, it has served its purpose as well as it can. Poor old place needs to rest itself.

So, you don't see a problem with me setting up a page and starting the donation process to get a place as far as SS goes? If so, I need to see what prices look like. I don't even know how much to ask for when it comes to a goal. I may need a wheelchair after finding out how much it costs. It's kind of a bad time to do this but I don't see it getting any better anytime soon. Prices of everything just keeps going up.

 

[commentator]

If this poster is in Mississippi and getting SSI, not SSDI, they're getting less than $675 a month, not based on their quarters of work, but on being low income. MS has no supplement to the SSI, and it is definitely an income based program, administered through the state's DHS department. Income is reported and affects the program. IF this person is on SSI, they have a caseworker and are recertified pretty regularly. Medicaid is done by a caseworker.

What I would point out to them is that if this offer of help is legitimate, they are by no means the first person who has ever received such a helping h.and. If they are legitimate, there should be people in the group wanting to help you who have dealt with people on fixed incomes of all types perhaps could help you find out how and if this improvement in your living conditions would be a negative to you in any way. What about Habitat for Humanity or some of these other organizations? Not sure this particular one you're talking about is on the up and up, I have never heard of them telling the person needing the help to set up their own "go fund me" page.

 

[dalek]

Commentator, I don't get SSI at all. I posted that info a couple posts up. I get what you call SSDI and that's it. I do get Medicaid help with Medicare premiums. That is also explained above. Could be you missed that post somehow. Maybe the email link scrolled past it???

From my understanding, several people who drive by where I live somehow got together and talked about helping me. Most are people who go to churches, likely how they know each other in addition to being neighbors. While I don't think this is a official church activity, it seems the people from more than one church is involved. Basically, it is private individuals wanting to help but it is several of them. The reason for the donation page, it's a easy place for people to go to to help.

Keep in mind, I been living here long before any of the people living in this area except for one family. We were the second family who bought land out here. I'm also known for letting people pick veggies from my garden. I especially grow a lot of turnip and mustard greens and kale in the fall/winter. Once the people get all they want, I take the electric fence down and let the deer in. Even tho I don't know the people myself, they know me because they drive by, blow their horn and I wave back. I'm also known for my pepper sauce. I sometimes go through 6 or 7 gallons of vinegar each year. I save jars from different things I use, wash and sterilize them and then reuse them for pepper sauce. I also quite often pick things and drop it off at a elderly persons home, porch steps usually. Generally, I just drop it off and let them find it. This includes, okra, tomatoes, pepper sauce and other garden stuff. I been doing this for decades, even before my disability.

While I may not know the people here, they know me for different reasons. I have met people and them know who I am and I have no idea who they are. Odds are, they heard about what I do or see me in my garden. The area I live in is full of good people. Generally if anything bad happens, it is someone from outside this neighborhood that does it.

Does this help explain things better?