Ongoing federal discussions about government spending and program reform have raised questions among Social Security recipients about the future of their benefits. If you receive SSDI or SSI, here’s what you need to know about how these programs work and what protections are in place. Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income are funded through dedicated mechanisms — SSDI through the Social Security trust fund, which is supported by payroll taxes, and SSI through general federal revenues.

Changes to these programs require acts of Congress. Administrative actions alone cannot eliminate or fundamentally restructure these benefits. If you are currently receiving SSDI or SSI, your benefits are protected by law unless Congress passes legislation changing the program. Any significant changes to eligibility rules, benefit amounts, or program structure would require the legislative process and would typically include transition provisions.

That said, administrative efficiency efforts can affect staffing levels and processing times at the Social Security Administration. Reduced staffing can lead to longer wait times for decisions, slower responses to appeals, and delays in processing new applications. If you are in the application or appeals process, staying on top of deadlines and responding promptly to any SSA requests is especially important during periods of administrative change.

If you receive a notice about your benefits — including a review of your continuing eligibility — it’s important to respond within the given timeframe. Ignoring these notices can result in suspension or termination of benefits, even if you remain medically eligible.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor monitors changes that affect Michigan disability recipients and is here to help if your benefits are questioned or reviewed. Contact us if you have concerns about your SSDI or SSI claim.

Supplemental Security Income is a needs-based program, which means your income and assets are evaluated as part of your eligibility determination. Understanding the limits — and what counts and doesn’t count — is essential before applying. The resource limit for SSI is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Resources refer to countable assets, which include cash, bank account balances, stocks, bonds, and other financial holdings.

Importantly, several categories of assets are excluded from the count entirely. Your primary home is excluded, regardless of its value. One vehicle used for transportation is also excluded. Personal property, household goods, burial funds within certain limits, and ABLE account funds are generally excluded as well. This means many SSI applicants who own a home and a car may still fall within the resource limits once excluded items are removed from the calculation.

Income is evaluated separately and must also fall within SSI limits. The SSA distinguishes between earned income (wages and self-employment earnings) and unearned income (Social Security benefits, pensions, gifts, and other sources). Not all income is counted — the SSA excludes the first $20 of most monthly income and the first $65 of earned income, plus half of earned income above that amount.

The federal SSI benefit rate is adjusted annually. In 2025, the maximum federal SSI payment is $967 per month for an individual and $1,450 for a couple. Michigan does not currently provide a state supplement to SSI benefits. Because income and resource rules are complex and exceptions apply in many situations, it’s worth getting a personalized review before concluding you don’t qualify.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor can help Michigan residents assess their eligibility accurately. Contact us for a free consultation.

The Social Security Administration applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to benefits each year, including SSDI and SSI payments. This annual adjustment is one of the protections built into the program to help benefits maintain their purchasing power over time as the cost of living changes. The COLA is calculated based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) between the third quarter of one year and the third quarter of the following year.

If prices have risen, benefits increase by a corresponding percentage. The SSA announces the upcoming COLA each October, and the adjustment takes effect with January payments. For SSDI recipients, the COLA applies automatically to your monthly benefit. No action is required — the increase is calculated and applied by the SSA. You’ll receive a notice explaining your new benefit amount.

For SSI recipients, the COLA adjusts the federal benefit rate. In 2025, the maximum federal SSI payment is $967 per month for an individual and $1,450 for a couple. These amounts increase when a COLA is applied. It’s worth understanding that even a meaningful COLA percentage may result in a modest dollar amount depending on your benefit level. A 3% COLA on a $1,200 monthly benefit adds $36 per month.

While helpful, COLA increases are typically modest and are not intended to provide significant growth in benefit value — they are a maintenance adjustment. Tax implications are worth noting as well. For SSDI recipients who also have other income sources, a COLA increase can occasionally push total income closer to or over the threshold at which SSDI becomes partially taxable.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor is available to answer questions about your benefits. Contact us anytime.

Each year, the Social Security Administration announces a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for beneficiaries receiving SSDI, SSI, and retirement benefits. These annual increases are designed to help benefits keep pace with inflation, and understanding how they work helps recipients plan their finances more accurately. COLA adjustments are tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

When inflation rises, the COLA typically increases; in years with low inflation, the adjustment may be small or, in rare cases, zero. Beneficiaries receive advance notice of each year’s COLA in October, and the new amounts take effect in January. For SSDI recipients, the COLA applies to your monthly benefit directly. If you receive $1,500 per month and the COLA is 3%, your new benefit would be $1,545.

The adjustment is automatic — you don’t need to apply or take any action. For SSI recipients, the COLA adjusts the federal benefit rate, which sets the maximum monthly SSI payment. The federal benefit rate also affects how earned income exclusions and resource calculations work in some situations. It’s worth noting that COLA increases may affect your overall tax situation if your total income from SSDI plus other sources exceeds certain thresholds.

A modest benefit increase can sometimes push recipients closer to or over the income threshold at which SSDI benefits become partially taxable. If you receive both SSDI and workers’ compensation or other public disability benefits, those offset calculations are periodically reviewed and can change with COLA adjustments.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor is happy to answer questions about how COLA increases affect your specific situation. Contact us anytime.

Social Security has now been part of American life for nearly nine decades. What began as a response to the economic devastation of the Great Depression has grown into one of the most consequential federal programs in U.S. history, providing financial stability to tens of millions of Americans across multiple generations. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935 with the expressed goal of providing “some measure of protection to the average citizen and his family.” Initially focused on retirement benefits for workers, the program expanded over subsequent decades to include survivors benefits, disability benefits (added in 1956), and Supplemental Security Income (established in 1972).

Today, Social Security touches nearly every American family. Roughly one in six Americans receives some form of Social Security benefit, including retirement, disability, and survivor payments. For many recipients, these payments represent the primary source of income during periods when working is no longer possible. The Social Security Disability Insurance program specifically provides critical financial support to workers who have paid into the system and have become unable to work due to a qualifying disability.

For Michigan residents facing a serious medical condition that prevents employment, SSDI is one of the most important protections the program offers. As Social Security has evolved over nearly nine decades, it has been adjusted multiple times to address funding challenges, demographic shifts, and changing economic conditions. It remains one of the most broadly supported federal programs in the country.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor is proud to help Michigan residents access the disability benefits Social Security provides. Contact us for a free consultation.

When Congress authorizes economic stimulus payments, SSI recipients are often eligible — but there are specific rules about how receiving a payment may or may not affect ongoing SSI benefits. Understanding those rules helps recipients protect their eligibility. SSI recipients have generally been included in federal stimulus programs. Because the SSA has payment information on file, most SSI recipients have received stimulus checks automatically, without needing to take separate action.

However, individuals who don’t typically file tax returns and don’t receive benefits by direct deposit have sometimes needed to register through IRS tools to receive payment. The most important consideration for SSI recipients is how a stimulus payment affects the program’s income and resource limits. Under the rules applied during recent stimulus programs, stimulus payments were not counted as income in the month received.

This meant the payment itself did not reduce your SSI benefit for that month. However, resource rules also matter. If the funds remain in your bank account beyond the month you receive them, they become a countable resource in the following months. For individuals near the SSI resource limit of $2,000, a large stimulus payment could temporarily push their countable resources over the limit and affect eligibility.

The practical guidance: review your resource situation when a stimulus payment arrives, and spend funds on qualified living expenses within the exclusion window to avoid a resource count issue. An ABLE account, if you have one, is another option for holding funds without affecting SSI resource limits. Rules can vary with each stimulus program authorized by Congress.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor is available to help Michigan SSI recipients understand how federal payments affect their benefits. Contact us with any questions.

During periods when the federal government has issued economic impact payments — commonly known as stimulus checks — Social Security Disability recipients have often had questions about whether they qualify, how payments are issued, and whether receiving a payment affects their benefits. SSDI recipients are generally eligible for economic impact payments when they are authorized by Congress, provided they meet the income thresholds specified in the legislation.

Because the SSA has recipients’ direct deposit information on file, SSDI recipients have typically received payments automatically — without needing to file a separate claim. SSI recipients are also typically eligible for economic impact payments. The SSA has similarly processed these payments using existing payment information, though the timing and mechanics have varied by program.

An important consideration for SSI recipients is whether receiving an economic impact payment affects their benefits. Under the rules applied during recent stimulus programs, these payments were not counted as income for SSI purposes in the month received, and were excluded from resource limits for a specified period. This meant that receiving a payment did not automatically reduce or terminate SSI benefits — but it was important for recipients to spend or set aside the funds within the exclusion window to avoid having the payment counted as a resource in subsequent months.

Rules surrounding economic stimulus programs are set by Congress and can vary with each program. If a new round of payments is authorized in the future, we will provide updated information to help Michigan clients understand how it applies to their specific benefits.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor is available to answer questions about how changes in federal policy affect disability benefits. Contact us anytime.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized multiple rounds of economic stimulus payments — and Social Security Disability recipients had important questions about eligibility and how those payments interacted with ongoing benefits. This post summarizes the key points. SSDI and SSI recipients were generally eligible for all rounds of federal stimulus payments authorized during the pandemic, provided they met the income thresholds set by each program.

For many recipients, payments were issued automatically using the SSA’s direct deposit information. Individuals who typically don’t file tax returns — including some SSI recipients — occasionally needed to register through IRS tools to receive payment, particularly during earlier rounds. The SSA and IRS issued joint guidance to help these individuals access payments they were entitled to.

A key consideration for SSI recipients was the resource impact of receiving stimulus funds. Under the rules applied during COVID-era programs, stimulus payments were excluded as income in the month received and excluded from SSI resource limits for a defined period — typically 12 months. This protected recipients from losing benefits due to temporarily elevated bank account balances.

Some recipients expressed concern that accepting a stimulus check could count against them in the future. Under the programs authorized during the pandemic, accepting these payments had no effect on current or future SSDI eligibility. SSI recipients needed to be mindful of spending funds within the exclusion window to avoid resource issues. Rules for future stimulus programs, if any are authorized, may differ.

We recommend reviewing any new guidance specific to the program at the time.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor is available to help Michigan clients understand how federal programs interact with their disability benefits. Contact us with any questions.

Throughout the history of Social Security, there have been periodic proposals from Congress to cut or restructure the SSI program. Understanding how these proposals arise and what you can do to protect your benefits is important for current and prospective recipients. SSI serves some of the most vulnerable Americans — disabled individuals, the elderly poor, and children with severe conditions.

Proposals to reduce SSI funding, tighten eligibility criteria, or change how benefits are calculated have consistently drawn strong opposition from disability advocates, healthcare providers, and the communities that depend on these benefits. When legislation that would negatively affect SSI or SSDI advances in Congress, advocacy organizations such as the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) and various disability rights groups work to educate policymakers about the real-world impact of proposed cuts.

These efforts have successfully blocked or modified harmful proposals in the past. As a recipient or supporter of Social Security disability programs, you have a voice in this process. Contacting your Congressional representatives — by phone, letter, or email — to share how SSI affects your life or the lives of people in your community is one of the most direct ways to influence the legislative process.

Representatives do pay attention to constituent communications, particularly when they receive a significant volume on a specific issue. Staying informed about proposals that could affect your benefits through reputable news sources and disability advocacy organizations helps you respond effectively when action matters most.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor follows legislative developments that affect Michigan disability recipients and is committed to helping our clients protect their benefits. Contact us with any questions.

Proposed federal legislation that includes changes to Social Security Disability Insurance often draws attention from disability recipients, advocates, and legal professionals. Understanding how legislative proposals can affect SSDI benefits helps recipients and applicants stay informed. Historically, some infrastructure and budget legislation has included provisions that would modify how SSDI benefits interact with other income — including unemployment benefits.

Proposals to offset SSDI payments for recipients who also receive unemployment insurance have drawn significant pushback from disability advocates, who argue that the two programs serve different populations and purposes. The National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) and similar advocacy organizations monitor federal legislation that could affect SSDI and SSI recipients and work to ensure that changes don’t undermine the protections these programs provide.

For Michigan disability recipients, the key takeaway from any legislative discussion involving SSDI is to stay informed and make your voice heard if proposed changes would negatively affect you or others in your community. Contacting your Congressional representatives during the legislative process is one of the most effective ways to influence outcomes. It’s also worth noting that any changes to SSDI benefits through legislation would typically include transition provisions and would not take effect immediately.

Current recipients are generally protected from sudden, retroactive changes.

Our team at Grech Law Firm Attorney & Counselor monitors legislative developments affecting Social Security disability programs and advocates for the interests of our Michigan clients. If you have questions about how proposed or enacted changes might affect your benefits, contact us for a consultation.