In July 2018 and updated in March 2019, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released the Veterans Income and Benefits Calculator for beneficiaries of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) disability benefits. The Veterans Income and Benefits Calculator is a resource intended to estimate how Veterans can combine income from SSA Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) disability benefits, VA benefits, and employment in order to maximize their income and housing stability. This resource can help practitioners understand how different income streams interact across employment and SSA disability benefits. The Benefits Calculator is an easy-to-use, visual representation that helps bust myths about employment and disability benefits.
Too often, misinformation about how employment will affect income from SSI/SSDI discourages beneficiaries from pursuing their vocational goals. The VA Income and Benefits Calculator offers a strong visual representation of how working while receiving SSI/SSDI and/or VA benefits is not only possible but can be an integral part of maximizing income and housing stability.
The SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) community can integrate the Income and Benefits Calculator into engagement strategies to show that employment and pursuing vocational goals are possible while receiving SSI/SSDI. The Income and Benefits Calculator can also be used to explore and test different scenarios on how starting work, increasing hours or pay, or saving money for vocational training will affect SSI/SSDI.
This resource was first shared in 2018.
Citation
Elder, J. (2023). Veterans income and benefits calculator (2nd ed). SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery Technical Assistance Center. https://soarworks.samhsa.gov/article/new-va-tool-helps-maximize-income
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