SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

    What Social Security is and how it works Who is eligible to receive Social Security benefits About the different types of Social Security benefits (retirement benefits, SSDI, SSI/SSP)How to apply for Social Security benefits How your criminal record affects your ability to get Social Security benefitsWhat happens to Social Security benefits when you are incarcerated How to restart your Social Security benefits if they’ve been suspended (paused)What to do if your Social Security benefits have been wrongly ended or suspended

Social Security is a federal benefits program that provides cash benefits to retired people, disabled people, and their dependents. Social security is a “pay-as-you-go” program, meaning that workers pay Social Security taxes, and these taxes are used to provide benefits to Social Security beneficiaries (retired people, disabled people, and their dependents).

For starters, there are four ways to qualify for federal Social Security benefits:

    As a retired individual;
    As a disabled individual;
    As the spouse or dependent of an eligible individual; or
    As the survivor of an eligible individual.