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You Are Not Getting SSI. You Are Getting Social Security!

You Are Not Getting SSI. You Are Getting Social Security!
Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Penn., on Feb. 11, 2005. William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
Tom Margenau
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Every single day, I get emails from readers that say things like this: “My wife and I are getting SSI. And we would like to ask you some questions.” Or this: “My SSI check is $2,140 per month. My wife’s SSI check is $1,800. Can she get any of my SSI?”

You know the uncomfortable feeling you get when someone scratches their fingernails on a chalkboard? Well, that’s how I feel when I get emails like this. Why does this bother me so? Because these folks are not getting SSI. They are getting Social Security benefits. And there is a HUGE difference, which I will explain.

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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