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Savvy Strategies to Simplify SSI:
Stress Reducing Tips for Families

While Supplemental Security Income (SSI) presents many opportunities for young adults with disabilities and their families, managing SSI benefits can be confusing and stressful. Families of young adults receiving SSI may find it helpful to try the following management strategies. Following these tips can make it possible to use SSI as a creative tool for planning, and to go from stressed and reactive to positive and planful!

1. Keep it on file. Keep records of everything in a special notebook. Photocopy everything you send to SSA, including pay stubs.
2. Report changes in income immediately. This is especially important if the monthly income from a job is inconsistent, as it often is for teenagers (if, for instance, they work a different number of hours every week or get paid biweekly).
3. Anticipate potential overpayments. If you know an SSI check has not been adjusted to reflect a change in income, set aside some money to cover the upcoming overpayment so you don’t feel squeezed when it happens.
4. Set up a meeting. Sometimes it’s easier to work out problems face-to-face. Meeting with a staff member at your local SSA office also allows you to develop a relationship with a person you can call on in the future.
5. Stick with the slow times. Try not to contact SSA during busy periods, especially the beginning of the month (until the 5th or 6th). Early afternoons in the middle of the week and Friday mornings are often quieter. Check with someone at your local office for the best times.
6. Put it in writing. After you talk to someone, write down their name, the date, what you discussed, and what you decided to do. That way, if there are complications down the road you can point to “hard evidence.” For particularly important issues, you may wish to follow up your conversation with a letter that confirms what you discussed.
7. Prepare for possible complications. The Social Security Administration is a big and complex system. It can make the whole process a lot less stressful simply to realize that while problems do happen, they can also be solved. Make sure that you ask to speak to someone about SSI, as not all local office staff has the same knowledge. In the event that efforts at problem solving are unsuccessful, you can always appeal a decision. Appeals are often effective.
8. Find an expert. Many schools, human services organizations, and state agencies have experts who specialize in Social Security planning.

Reprinted and adapted with permission from Dreilinger, D. & Timmons, J.C. (Dec. 2001). “From stress to success: Making Social Security work for your young adult.” Tools for Inclusion: Family and Consumer Series (9)3. Published by the Institute for Community Inclusion, Children’s Hospital, Boston. For further resources visit their Web site at www.communityinclusion.org or call Danielle Dreilinger at 617/287-4300 (voice) or 617/355-6956 (TTY).

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