[rehab] COLA - more than just somethign to drink

[Dick Davis]

COLA – how refreshing!  Especially when it means more money in your pocket!



Social Security announced the following COLA changes in a document that
didn’t seem JAWS accessible, so I copied out the following for you.  For
those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, it is the Cost Of
Living Adjustment that Social Security does most years.  Starting January
1, 2018, your benefits will go up 2%.

·         To figure out how much it will increase your SSDI, multiply your
existing amount by 102%, or by 1.02 if you don’t like to do percentages.

·         SSI will be $750 per month for an individual and $1,125 for a
couple.  That’s the basic amount, not counting any state supplement.

·         Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) will go up to $1,970 a month.
That’s the amount you have to stay under if you want to keep your SSDI
benefits.

·         The Trial Work Period (TWP) amount will go up to $850 a month. If
you are on SSDI and make more than that in a given month, you will lose one
month of your nine month TWP.

·         The Student Earned Income Exclusion, which allows students under
the age of 22 to work without losing any of their SSDI, goes up to $1,820 a
month or $7,350 a year.  (I bet most people don’t know about that
program.)



Happy earnings, people!



Dick Davis, Chair
NFB Employment Committee