[Nd-talk] FW: Social Security Announces 2.0 Percent Benefit Increase for 2018

Fri Oct 13 18:56:15 UTC 2017

For your information…

Sherry Shirek

Secretary – Social Events Committee Chair

National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota

Website www.nfbnd.org

Voice/text 701-781-3055

Email  <mailto:sherrybeth7 at gmail.com> sherrybeth7 at gmail.com

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back

Begin forwarded message: 

In the attached social security fact sheet, it states that social security disability thresholds for the blind will go from $1,950/month in 2017 to $1,970/month in 2018. Please see the press release below for more information. 

Press Release

Friday, October 13, 2017 
For Immediate Release

Mark Hinkle, Acting Press Officer 
press.office at ssa.gov <mailto:press.office at ssa.gov> 

Social Security Announces 2.0 Percent Benefit Increase for 2018

Link to Press Release: https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/#/post/10-2017-1 <https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.ssa.gov?p=eyJzIjoiejM2SjQxMnF5T09TdFJvYUJ6WEY3OVUtMmYwIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5zc2EuZ292XFxcL25ld3NcXFwvcHJlc3NcXFwvcmVsZWFzZXNcXFwvI1xcXC9wb3N0XFxcLzEwLTIwMTctMVwiLFwiaWRcIjpcImFiNTg2MmFjODg2MjQ5NmRhYzYyYzlmZmI0MDkxZDllXCIsXCJ1cmxfaWRzXCI6W1wiMTRhMDhmMjhmODk2ZmRlZTQwNmEyYmU2MzU0ZWM5YWI3YWJjNDU0Y1wiXX0ifQ>  

Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 66 million Americans will increase 2.0 percent in 2018, the Social Security Administration announced today.

The 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 61 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2018. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 29, 2017. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits) The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some other adjustments 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 $128,700 from $127,200. Of the estimated 175 million workers who will pay Social Security taxes in 2018, about 12 million will pay more because of the increase in the taxable maximum.

Information about Medicare changes for 2018, when announced, will be available at www.medicare.gov <https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.medicare.gov?p=eyJzIjoibzRWRFZtSktYblVVaG1wNVFPd01uRG1YMUNvIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3Lm1lZGljYXJlLmdvdlwiLFwiaWRcIjpcImFiNTg2MmFjODg2MjQ5NmRhYzYyYzlmZmI0MDkxZDllXCIsXCJ1cmxfaWRzXCI6W1wiMDNlYTM5MzBlNzczMWI0M2U5YmNiYWJjMDMxY2IzNDg2OGNkM2YyMVwiXX0ifQ> .

The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. To read more, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola <https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.ssa.gov?p=eyJzIjoiWDdOOEhzUXNlOGxVcnpTallyNUFDMlloS0tBIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5zc2EuZ292XFxcL2NvbGFcXFwvXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiYWI1ODYyYWM4ODYyNDk2ZGFjNjJjOWZmYjQwOTFkOWVcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCJmMjkxOTEzOWVmYjg2MTcxYzQzODVhZjc0MjllOWIxODM3MDlmMGNmXCJdfSJ9> .

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nd-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20171013/7d5473d5/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 19621 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nd-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20171013/7d5473d5/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 332 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nd-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20171013/7d5473d5/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Social Security Fact Sheet 2018.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 172677 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nd-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20171013/7d5473d5/attachment.pdf>