Did the president, senators, governors, & congressman get a pay raise in 2010? Will they issue themselves another pay raise in 2011?

I worked hard for as long as my disease allowed & actually started working @ 11 years old; now that I NEED HELP I am really feeling LET DOWN by our govenment.

While there will be no COLA in 2011 THEY WILL INCREASE MEDICARE & THE INFAMOUS DONUT HOLE IS GOING TO INCREASE.

I am UNABLE TO WORK - so WITHOUT EXTRA MONEY HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY THESE EXTRA COSTS?

Not the same boat, but maybe the same lake.

I will be getting SSI for the first time in November (assuming the final step goes well).

I have never worked (well, not for more than a few months as a teen) and have not paid any money into social security.

At this point, I am just thankful for any help. SSI is not always intended to be the sole 'income' or money in the household.. I don't know about SSDI. That's why many people on SSI are married and one of them has a part time job.. or a single person on SSI may work a little bit. Supplemental Security Income, not Total Income.

I know that it stinks when the "big guys" get raises and the ones who need it don't. I know all about going without and living paycheck to paycheck. I know all about having to get rid of things to pay for essentials.. or going meals or days without food because the money has run out.

Still, I am grateful for the help I am going to be getting.. and even if it never went up in my lifetime, I would still be grateful. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like it to go up to reflect the higher prices everywhere.. but life isn't always fair in that way and I have learned to accept that.

My mom works for the state and she hasn't gotten a raise in several years. She works full time and pays taxes... yet she doesn't get more money when prices go up either. It's just a fact of life--it's always going to be this way for some people.

The earned income disregard for SSI is $65 per month. After that, SSI stops supplementing $1 for every $2 in gross wages. In other words, earn gross pay of $265 and SSI is $100 less than someone with no earnings. The supplement is reduced.

Yes... so someone could earn $265 in addition to receiving SSI ($574/mo, which is $100 less than the standard), right?

So if a person earned $265, that could mean they worked anywhere from 132.5 hours (when minimum wage is $2/hr) or 36.5 hours if the minimum wage is the federal standard ($7.25/hr). It all depends on where a person lives. But someone who is receiving SSI could still earn $165 a month which would add to the SSI benefit to total $839.

Or, if a person is receiving SSI but is not able to go work outside of the home, he or she could work from home, doing things for income such as caring for a child, editing papers for college students (or typing them, if a student is unable to do so), or making and selling jewelry or other homemade items online.

Unless I am missing something here, that is what it looks like to me.


Edit: Actually, usually SSI doesn't count beyond $85, not $65.

The $20 exclusion does apply to the first other income an SSI recipient receives, such as SSDI or a pension or in-kind income. If the $20 exclusion is not used for unearned income, it is applied to earned income.

Getting money for work at home may count as unearned income, wages or self-employment. But it is still income that affects SSI benefits if it is reported to SSI.

COLAs are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). CPI-Ws are calculated on a monthly basis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A COLA effective for December of the current year is equal to the percentage increase (if any) in the average CPI-W for the third quarter of the current year over the average for the third quarter of the last year in which a COLA became effective. If there is an increase, it must be rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent. If there is no increase, or if the rounded increase is zero, there is no COLA.

COLA Computation
The last year in which a COLA became effective was 2008. Therefore the law requires that we use the average CPI-W for the third quarter of 2008 as the base from which we measure the increase (if any) in the average CPI-W.

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/latestCOLA.html