I’ve always prided myself on being able to explain the rationale behind various Social Security rules and regulations. Many times, readers will send me emails in which they express utter befuddlement at a law or regulation that affects their eligibility for Social Security. It’s usually a situation that results in them getting reduced benefits. Of course, this irks them to no end. They figure the government is just out to shortchange them. But once I explain why the rule exists, they will almost always accept the fact (sometimes grudgingly) that the law makes sense.
In fact, during my SSA career, I even developed a training session for my fellow employees, which I called “Rationale.” And my class did just that. It provided the reasoning behind a myriad of Social Security rules and regulations that many people found hard to understand. Even though I considered myself pretty much of an expert on these issues, there were some laws that even I couldn’t, and still can’t, explain. I’ve gone over some of them in past columns. But I’ve come across a couple new ones.
