Responses

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

Respond to at least two colleagues by explaining a strategy for how a social worker might help clients manage these perceptions, given the differences your colleagues described.

Colleague 1: Tiffany

How Social Security is different from public assistance programs:

Social Security has a few different programs that are a lot different than the public assistance programs offered in most states. Public assistance is offered on a needed basis. While both public assistance and social security provide financial payments to individuals, not everyone will qualify for social security. With social security you have to meet more than just income requirements. With public assistance you apply and will know if you qualify based on your income. Then you are only able to stay on those programs for a short period of time. With social security you can stay on it for the rest of your life.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program: “SSI is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes): It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income;” (Social Security, 2020).

Social Security disability benefits (SSDI): This social security program will “pay monthly benefits to people who are unable to work for a year or more, or who have a condition expected to end in death. The disability must be so severe the worker cannot work, considering age, education and experience” (Social Security, 2020).

Social Security retirement benefits: Through this program “you can start receiving your retirement benefit as early as age 62, or as late as age 70” (Social Security, 2020).

The general perception of Social Security benefits:

To me I don’t believe that Social security has the same stigma attached as public assistance programs do. When you think of social security you think of disabled individuals or older people who are retired. When you are talking to someone who is on public assistance most people think that they just don’t want to work and are taking advantage of the system. It’s important to note that people can take advantage of both sets of programs. I believe it’s a lot less within the social security though.

With social security in order to collect retirement benefits you would have had to have worked enough to qualify. SSI is only given to the elderly and disabled with little income. SSDI is only given to people who are unable to work because of a disability. None of these benefits are easy to get, and it can be a very lengthy process.

Resources

Social Security, (2020). Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Frequently Asked Questions. https://faq.ssa.gov/en-US/topic/?id=CAT-01094

Colleague 2: Nicole

Social Security and public assistance programs are both financial programs designed to provide financial income to their recipients.

Social security is a program run by the Social Security Administration (SSA) which is a federal agency. It is best associated with retirement benefits, survivor benefits and disability income. Some important things to note:

to qualify for retirement benefits, one must be at least 62 years old and have paid into the system for 10 years or more
people who wait to collect after 70 years old, will receive higher monthly benefits
spouses and ex spouses may be eligible for benefits based on their former partners earning’s.
employees pay into this fund through their payroll withholding from their employer
each person can earn up to 4 credits each year and benefits are based on their “average indexed monthly earnings” during their 35 highest-earning years

Public Assistance Funds are for people who are in financial need, who are disabled or elderly and vary from state to state. These programs are called Temporary of Transitional Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) by the federal government. Each state receives “grant awards” issued via the federal government for their individual welfare programs. These programs are used to help families to care for children and help “needy adults transition from welfare to employment. To be eligible to receive benefits one must have a monthly income is below the federal poverty level and have very little cash. Some of the major federal, state and local programs are:

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
General Assistance

How are these differences important in terms of the general perception of social security benefits:

In my personal opinion, the terms themselves are associated with a different general perception. I think that collecting social security benifits says that someone has been working for most of their life and are eligible to collect from what they have contributed from their withholdings of their paychecks. Where as, public assistance funds and SSI benefits are for those who haven’t worked or are unable to work, whether it be from a disability or unemployment. Regardless they are struggling to make ends meet and therefore need assistance.

References:

Census.gov

ssa.gov

subject: Masters Social Science

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apa 392 words

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