Public Benefits	Overview of Benefit Programs	Spending Guide For Trustees	Confusing Nomenclature	Analyzing Benefits
	SSI	Sample Letter

Confusing Nomenclature

 

.One of the first tasks of a trustee is to identify what benefits the client receives. This can be difficult because the terms and acronyms of the various programs can be very similar

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Some examples

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SSI is the official acronym for “Supplemental Security Income”, but is is easily mistakenly applied or interpreted to mean Social Security Insurance.

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SSI and SSDI are close enough to be confused for the same thing. To avoid this, many people refer to Social Security Disability Insurance as SSD, which seems to suggest that there may be some other program than SSDI, or that SSDI and SSI may be the same.

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Many people refer to any program through Social Security as SSA to distinguish it from SSI. However, both programs are administered by the Social Security Administration.

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Although SSI is administered by the Social Security Administration, it is not part of the Social Security system.

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Although one has to be disabled to receive SSI, that does not mean that the person receives income through Social Security Disability.

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It is almost impossible to always avoid using Medicare and Medicaid interchangeably.

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And so on …

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My advice is to not use acronyms. If one is referring to Supplemental Security Income, say all three words. If one is referring to Social Security Disability, say those words. Most importantly, do not assume that anyone using an acronym both knows for sure what it means and is using it correctly. Even seasoned professionals will have word finding problems and use the wrong acronym.

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Never rely on what anyone says about which programs are in play. Always get source documentation. Unless you are absolutely certain that what someone tells you is correct, get vericfication. If you are confident of the information you have been given, get verification.