Larry,

First and foremost, I want to express my sincerest gratitude for all that you do. It can be extremely difficult to get direct answers at the local Social Security Administration office, especially when each answer differs from employee to employee. Thanks again :-) Some background information:

First and foremost, my mother, who currently lives in Philadelphia, was permanently disabled by an underaged drunk driver in the early 90's. It took approximately 2 years for her to receive any benefits from SSI/SSD. Even worse, my mother wasn't fairly compensated because the person who caused this was not insured so my mother received a total of $10,000 which was immediately taken for medical bills. With such a dire situation, I starting working at age of 12 to make ends meet. Fast forward almost 30 years and although my mother is no longer bedridden, she has permanent spine and nerve damage. A few years ago, I relocated to North Carolina and recently, purchased another home that I will be moving my mother into in the next month or so. Now onto the questions:

1. With Social Security benefits being a Federal program, is there a difference on whether I inform Pennsylvania of her move or should I just wait until I move her to North Carolina and inform the local SS Admin office there?

2. Same question for Welfare. Also, is Welfare Federal or State? Could her benefits differ from state to state?

3. I know that adjustments have been made each year for cost of living increases etc.; however, is there anyway to increase the amount of benefits that she receives? Currently, she receives the following per month:

Social Security:
--- SSD (Disability) - Approximately $700.00
--- SSI (Supp. Income) - Approximately $100.00

Welfare:
--- Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Benefits
--- Food Stamps - Approximately $175

4. The house is 100% in my name, as there would be no way for my mother to qualify to buy her own home with such little income. Would it be beneficial for me to create a lease for my mother? If so, should I combine the rent and utilities into one lump some or separate them out so that we can show the local Social Security office the individual costs?

Sincerely, all of my thanks!
JT

Hi JT. Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are federal benefits administered by the Social Security Administration. Moving to North Carolina wouldn't affect your mother's Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits at all, nor would it change her SSI payment rate unless there's a change in her living arrangements or her income or assets. SSI will need to do a redetermination when your mother gets settled at her new address, so you'll want to be sure to contact Social Security once she gets moved.

I'm not an expert on the SSI program, so I can't fully answer your last question. Your mother's living arrangement wouldn't affect her SSDI benefits, but it could affect her SSI. I believe that she'd need to be paying her fair share of the household expenses in order to maintain her current SSI payment level, but I don't know for sure. You should probably discuss your options with the SSI representative who handles your mother's case.

There are many different types of assistance programs that are referred to as welfare, and although most of them are at least partially funded by federal funds they are administered at state, county or local agencies. I would think that guess that your mother may need to reapply for those types of benefits once she gets to her new address, but since my expertise is limited to Social Security benefits I'm not able to advise you with regard to your mother's other benefits. I would suggest contacting the agencies paying your mother's current benefits for instructions.

SSDI benefits are based on a person's earnings history, so there's almost certainly no way that your mother's SSDI payments will increased other than for cost of living (COLA) increases. The maximum total monthly amount that a person can be paid when receiving both SSDI and SSI benefits is currently $814, so it sounds like your mother is probably getting all that she can get from Social Security at present.

Best, Jerry