I have been on social security disability for 14 years .ssi ssdi for 14 years.when I received my award letter the court retroed me 3 1/2 years back .roughefley 28.000 dollars thats after they took lawyers money for binder binder and child support as well as county aid money.why haven't I received any back pay money?also i had one extra work point when I was approved for my benefits why do I get so very lil money 740.00 a month.why does chic support take money out of my check every month the whole time I am receiving benefits.

Hi,

I'm not sure if you mean that you're getting Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both. If you receive SSI benefits, there is a set maximum benefit rate that's adjusted annually. The maximum monthly SSI payment in 2020 is $783. However, if you also receive SSDI benefits, then your SSI payment would be offset dollar for dollar by all but the first $20 of your SSDI amount. SSDI benefit rates vary depending on a person's earnings history, and can be lower than the SSI limit or much higher than that.

For example, say Bob is eligible for both SSDI and SSI benefits. Bob's SSDI rate is $520. Bob would normally qualify for the maximum SSI rate of $783, but since he's receiving SSDI his SSI rate is offset by $500 to $283. Therefore, the total of Bob's SSDI and SSI benefits is $803 (i.e. $520 + $283), or $20 more than the maximum SSI amount.

SSDI benefits can be garnished for child support based on a court order, however, SSI benefits cannot be garnished for child support. If your SSDI benefits are being garnished for child support, then it's because Social Security received a court order to do so.

I have no way of knowing the status of any back pay that you may be due. Since an attorney group represented you in pursuing your claim, they should be responsible for making sure that you receive any back pay that you have coming.

Best, Jerry