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What You Should Know About Supplemental Security Income

What You Should Know About Supplemental Security Income
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Tom Margenau
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This is going to be a column about Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. In other words, it will NOT be a column about Social Security. Supplemental Security Income and Social Security are two entirely different government programs. They really have nothing to do with each other, other than the fact that they are both managed by the Social Security Administration.

I’m emphasizing the difference between the two programs because millions of people think SSI stands for Social Security Income. Every single day, I get emails from people who tell me they are getting SSI, when they really mean to say they are getting Social Security. So if you are one of those people, then please remember you are getting Social Security, not SSI.

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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