Understanding the New Social Security Rules Concerning Trusts

SocialSecurity Gov – The first thing you need to realize is that not all trusts are viewed, or governed, in the same way. Trusts are divided into two separate groupings. All trusts that were in effect before Jan. 2000 and the second group is all trusts that were established after that date. This is because the Foster Care Independence Act became effective in 1999.SocialSecurity Gov

The exception to this grouping is made for disability trusts and pooled trusts. Social Security Rules place these trusts in the group of the pre January 2000. For all other trusts they will be considered to be a resource unless they are excluded due to the Medicaid Rules that can be found in Section 203 of the Social Security Gov Rules.

For the purpose of these rules a grantor will be known as a person that provides the funds for the trust. This term will apply regardless of the fact that the person is named as the grantor or the settler on the instrument.

In the Social Security Gov Rules an asset is defined as being any income the person receives, or a resource they have available to them. These rules apply to inheritances, and any other payments the person is supposed to receive.

There are rules called transfer rules that apply to the trust that say the instrument will no longer be considered as a resource if there is no way the person can receive any money from the distribution of the trust.

The Social Security Gov Rules makes the exception for trusts concerning someone who is under the age of 65, and who is legally defined as being disabled. In this instance a trust that was made by the parents or guardians of the disabled individual will not be considered. These trusts will however have to be left to the State Medicaid office upon the death of the individual.SocialSecurity Gov

There are strict rules and guidelines that must be followed when establishing a trust for someone that is disabled, and it is advised that you seek the guidance of an attorney when you are attempting to do this. A legal adviser that has current knowledge of the Social Security Gov Rules can help you to establish a trust with a nominal amount of money, that will allow the child to also deposit money into the trust through the years, establishing a retirement account of sorts for the disabled individual. The establishing of a trust for your disabled child is a good way to insure the child will have the necessary funds in the future to supply their needs.Social Security Gov

 

SocialSecurity.Gov – Web Site For Seniors

SocialSecurity.Gov - This important website is one you should have in your favorites for easy access. Since the government is known for an abundance of red tape and making the plain and simple confusing, it is very surprising how clear, simple, and easy to use they’ve managed in the creation of the SocialSecurity.Gov online portal included on the USA.gov site. This is the official website of the US Social Security Administration. SocialSecurity.Gov

This site is filled with conveniences that will benefit the reader and make navigation throughout the site extremely easy. There are an abundance of extra conveniences including making the print larger. A major plus to the many seniors that call the US home but have come from other places will have the option of changing the language from English to Polish, Spanish, Greek, French, Italian, Tagalog, Farsi, Chinese, Armenian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, and Haitian-Creole. They’ll even provide free interpreter services. SocialSecurity.Gov

On the first page of Social Security.Gov you have the option of watching a video about the website, which is less than two minutes long. If you choose not to watch the video then your next step would be to choose the category you’d like information on. You’ll find a blue bar across the top which is divided into categories: Retirement, Survivors, Disability, Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Clicking on any of those categories will bring you to another page where your search within that category begins. Social Security.Gov

Let’s say you chose Retirement. The next page gives you six different choices:

o Plan your retirement
o Calculate your benefits
o Apply for retirement benefits
o Already receiving retirement benefits
o Retirement benefit publications (en Espanol)
o Frequently asked questions

SocialSecurity.GovClick on one of those options and you’ll have detailed explanations at your fingertips. Amazingly you’ll find SocialSecurity.gov provides easy to understand concepts and directions. You can get help very easily if needed. There are some parts of social security you can apply for online though not all. For instance you can apply for social security disability insurance online quite easily however, you can’t apply for a Social Security.Gov card online. For that you can print out the application but must mail or go to your local social security office; some major metro areas (New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, or Phoenix) require you apply in person rather than mailing in the application. SocialSecurity.Gov

By taking an extra few minutes, you can find out everything you need to know that will help to get it right the first time, and you save time in the process. Social Security.gov is an asset you definitely want to make use of as you plan your future. SocialSecurity.Gov

SocialSecurity.Gov – Article provided by Sharon Elrod at seniorcitizenjournal SocialSecurity.Gov