The Reduced-Fare MetroCard

The Reduced-Fare MetroCard
By Ted Walner
A Benefit Not to Be Without
With everything being so expensive, it’s nice to know that there are benefits out there to help. An example of this, the Reduced-Fare MetroCard, definitely counteracts inflation. With this card you pay half price for the bus or subway. Instead of paying $2.75 each way, you pay $1.35. This helps us all, especially those on fixed incomes.
To get an application, you can download it, pick it up in person, or have it mailed to you. Google “MTA Reduced-Fare application” to download or go to 3 Stone Street to get it in person. If you call 718-330-1234 or dial 511, it can be mailed to you. Once it is completed you can mail it in or bring it to the office.
The card is available for seniors or people with a qualifying disability. Individuals with mental illness can apply. It is applicable for a lot of means of transport. You can use the card on the subway, bus, Express bus, the Long Island Railroad, and Metro-North. It can be linked to your account so that it can be automatically refilled.
The application is easy to fill out. It is self-explanatory. First you attach a photo of yourself to the page. You add proof of age by supplying a copy of your driver’s license, passport, or Medicare card. The application has to be signed and notarized. A consent has to be included and the physician or healthcare provider fills out their section. They have to check the category of the disability and state whether it is permanent or temporary. Finally, the individual has to include whether he/she is receiving Medicare or SSI. Once this is done, it is time to bring or send it in. You can mail it to 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn or bring it to 3 Stone Street, Manhattan.
Once you have your card, if it is lost or damaged don’t fear, help is near. You can simply go to an agent at a booth and the value of the card can be transferred to a new MetroCard. If the value can’t be transferred you send the card to Customer Services at 130 Livingston Street. They can research the transactional history and send you the appropriate refund.
If you are not approved for the card at first, there are actions you can take. You can contact an independent contractor known as the Reduced-Fare Certifier Services. They can re-evaluate your disability and find you eligible for the card. You should get in touch with the MTA about this option.
Another feature, the 30-day unlimited Reduced-Fare MetroCard, sells for $60.50 instead of $121. I recommend getting this if you travel a lot around the city. You can go North, West, East, or South as often as you want without waiting on lines or refilling your card. It’s truly a fun way to explore the city. It gives you peace of mind during the month because you don’t have to budget to refill your card. So, go enjoy your Reduced-Fare MetroCard and have the time of your life visiting and experiencing New York.

Applying for Medicaid Buy In for Working People with Disabilities

Applying for Medicaid Buy In for Working People with Disabilities

By Ted Walner, Peer Advocate, Brooklyn Peer Advocacy Center

It is very helpful to note that these days a person with disabilities can apply for Medicaid, even if they are working. In fact, an individual can earn in gross wages up to $59,892 per year and still get Medicaid. This could be one’s income or a combination of benefits and gross wages. Let me walk you through the steps one needs to take in order to benefit from the Medicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD). Please note that all documents obtained have to be within thirty days of submission. It is therefore important to act quickly and complete all your paperwork on time.

First, one must complete the general Medicaid application. The applicant must list their name and address, household information, income, other health insurance he or she may have, housing expenses and whether the person is disabled. For each piece of information listed, you must provide back-up documentation.

There are other forms that have to be completed as well. Your doctor must complete the medical report for your disability determination. One should sign and date the general Medicaid form after receiving the medical report. In this way, acting in a timely fashion, everything will be dated within the thirty days allowed.

There is also a disability questionnaire the client must complete. In this questionnaire you supply information about your medical condition, medical records, and information about your employment.

Finally, the applicant must complete Supplement ‘A.’ These forms request financial information about the client, including tax-returns and bank information. They also ask about other assets, such as retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, or other life insurance policies that you may have. Everything here also must be documented. It is interesting to note that an individual can have up to $20,000 in assets for this program. This is much more than the $2,000 limit for people on SSI and Medicaid.

Applying for MBI-WPD is a lengthy process that does pay off in the end. If you do receive Medicaid, you receive a very good form of insurance. In New York one can receive dental, psychiatric and medical coverage with Medicaid. To obtain the forms, you can access them online by going to the Department of Health link, https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/. You can also call the Coalition Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery at (212) 742-1600.

Get the best insurance possible for your disability, make your life easier after all. If you're working and disabled, Medicaid could now be a viable alternative to get adequate coverage for your medical needs.

Changes in SSI and SSDI Benefits for 2015

 Changes in SSI and SSDI Benefits for 2015

By Ted Walner, Peer Advocate, Brooklyn Peer Advocacy Center, Baltic Street AEH, Inc.

With the recent onset of 2015, the Social Security Administration has made changes in the amounts we receive as well as in the amounts we can earn to qualify for benefits. Firstly there has been a 1.7% increase to the beneficiaries. This is a slightly higher increase than that of the previous year.

The monthly maximum amount of SSI has increased from $721 per month to $733 for an individual. It has also increased to $1,100 per month for a couple from $1,082 previously. The allowable assets for SSI remain the same. They are $2000 for an individual and $3000 for a couple.

A person receiving SSDI must earn less than $1,090 per month to qualify for benefits. This is an increase from $1070 per month last year. A trial work period for an SSDI recipient will count if they earn over $780 per month. This is also increased from $770 per month, last year.

I hope these changes are easy to understand. Basically entitlements have gone up for the New Year. Enjoy the increase and spend wisely!  

SSI, SSD and Employment: What You Need to Know

SSI, SSD and Employment: What You Need to Know

By Tim Deal, Paralegal, MFY Legal Services, Inc.

PART ONE

The Importance of and Barriers to Employment

Entering, remaining in, or returning to the workforce is an important goal for many people experiencing mental illness. In addition to the financial benefits of earning employment income, there are many other benefits to working. For many people, employment is a vital part of the recovery process.

Unfortunately, as they seek to join the workforce, some people find themselves confronted by a variety of barriers. One serious barrier is a fear of losing their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Another barrier is fear of Social Security overpayments. Overpayments occur when the Social Security Administration (Social Security) alleges they mistakenly increased a recipient’s payment and then decrease that recipient’s SSI or SSD payments until Social Security has been recouped, paid back for their supposed overpayment.

MFY’s New Employment Initiative

MFY Legal Services has provided free civil legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers for over 50 years. The Mental Health Law Project at MFY has been helping New Yorkers with mental illness with civil legal issues since 1983. At MFY, we recognize both the importance of employment for people with mental illness and the seriousness of these Social Security-related barriers to work. In response, the Mental Health Law Project started a new initiative to support the employment goals of people with mental illness. We want to encourage employment by letting people know that they can work while receiving SSI and SSD. In fact, if they do, in most cases they will end up in a better financial situation.

Additionally, our employment initiative seeks to address Social Security overpayments in two ways. First, we want to help prevent overpayments from happening in the first place by educating people on Social Security’s reporting requirements. And, for those who have already received notice of an overpayment, we want to assist them in the overpayment appeal process by helping complete the appropriate Social Security form, and when possible, helping to negotiate with Social Security and appearing at Social Security hearings.

In what follows, we hope that readers will gain an understanding of how employment affects SSI and SSD, as well as what they need to do to prevent and fight overpayments. People who receive both SSI and SSD face a more complicated situation, because they have to deal with both sets of rules; SSI rules apply to the SSI money they receive, while

SSD rules apply to the SSD money they receive.

How Employment Affects SSI and SSD

One of the most common questions we hear is, “How exactly does my work income affect my Social Security benefits?” Social Security’s rules for how employment affects SSI and SSD are very complex. However, there are some general rules to keep in mind when going back to work while receiving Social Security benefits.

Employment and SSI

For people receiving SSI, Social Security adjusts their SSI checks every month that they earn work income. Here is how it works: Social Security wants to know how much money SSI recipients receive in total from work each month before taxes. Once they know this amount, they do a few things. In general, Social Security will ignore the first $85 that an SSI recipient earns at work each month. Then they will cut what remains in half. This amount is what Social Security deducts from the SSI check. The key here is that Social Security does not deduct an SSI recipient’s work income dollar-for-dollar from their check so, if they work, they will end up bringing home more money. In 2014, most people who receive SSI can earn up to $1,700 per month and continue to be eligible for at least some money in their SSI check.

Example One: Let’s say Ms. Smith is an SSI recipient who begins earning $685 a month at work. Social Security will ignore the first $85 dollars that she earns, reducing the amount of employment income it considers from $685 to $600. Then they will cut that $600 in half, bringing it down to $300. This $300 is what they will deduct from Ms. Smith’s check. So, if she receive $808 in her SSI check before working, that amount will be lowered to $508. The important thing to remember is that, in this example, Ms. Smith is earning $685 and receiving an SSI check for $508, increasing her monthly income to $1,193.

This article has been split into two parts. In part two, we will discuss how employment earnings and SSD work together, showing in several examples how various incomes and SSD payments add up. We will also discuss preventing and fighting overpayments.

Contacting MFY

If you have any questions about how working effects SSI and SSD, or if you would like assistance appealing an existing work-related overpayment, MFY’s Mental Health Law Project is here to help. Our intake line is (212) 417-3830. That line is opened Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.