Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) |
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Legislation that established IDA programs for non-TANF applicants. The three goals of AFIA include: providing individuals and families with incentives to save earned income, increasing self-sufficiency, and improving the community.
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Benefits Planner |
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| Someone who can help you understand or apply for benefit programs when you become disabled or turn 65. Their goal is to help you avoid financial complications while developing a sustainable plan for the future.
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Blind |
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Blindness in Social Security disability programs is "statutory blindness," which means:
- You have a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in your better eye, even while you are wearing a correcting contact lens or glasses in that eye; or
- You have a limitation in the field of vision of your better eye, so that:
- You have a contraction of peripheral visual fields to 10 degrees from the point of fixation, or
- The widest diameter of your visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees, or
- You have a contraction of peripheral visual fields to 20 percent or less visual field efficiency.
If you have a visual impairment that is not "blindness" as defined above, but your reduced vision (alone or in combination with other disabilities) prevents you from working, you may still be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
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Community Work Incentives Coordinator (CWIC) |
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The federal government pays benefits planners in communities around the country to help people think ahead about work incentives and benefits issues. CWIC'S are benefits planners who are trained by the Social Security Administration to assist beneficiaries with programs including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in addition to other related programs.
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Disability (Definition used by Social Security for Adults) |
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The inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. A person must not only be unable to do his/her previous work but cannot, considering age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of SGA which exists in the national economy. It is immaterial whether such work exists in the immediate area, or whether a specific job vacancy exists, or whether the worker would be hired if he/she applied for work. The worker’s impairment(s) must be the primary reason for his/her inability to engage in SGA.
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Earned Income (EI) |
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Salaries, wages, tips, professional fees and other amounts received as pay for physical or mental work actually performed. Funds received from any other source are not included. (Contrast unearned income.) |
Interval Steps |
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Measurable milestones that show progress towards achieving a vocational goal in a Plan for Achieving Self-Support. For example, if the goal is to obtain a job, the job search would be considered an interval step. |
Liquid Assets |
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Cash or other property which can be converted to cash within 20 days, excluding non-work days. Liquid assets include: checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual fund shares, promissory notes, mortgages, and life insurance policies.
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Milestone |
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Overpayment |
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Payment that exceeds the approved benefit amount.
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PASS |
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PASS Cadre |
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A group of PASS experts who review, approve, and monitor PASSes.
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Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) |
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A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that allows you to set aside income and resources for expenses related to a specific work goal. Income that you use for these expenses will not cause your SSI benefit to decrease. Resources that you spend on PASS expenses won't count towards the SSI limit. |
Qualified Alien |
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Representative Payee |
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An individual who receives benefits on someone else's behalf. Social Security conducts a careful investigation before appointing a relative, friend, or other interested party as the representative payee of individuals who need help managing their benefits.
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Surrender Value |
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If you were to cancel a life insurance policy prior to death or maturity, you would likely receive some portion of the full value of that policy. The amount you would receive is known as the “surrender value.” The surrender value of your policy should be written into it. If you do not know the surrender value, contact your policy administrator to find out. Not all policies have a surrender value (i.e. - burial insurance and many term insurance policies).
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Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) |
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A federal welfare program, formerly known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), that provides income support and access to Medi-Cal for low-income adults with children. In California, TANF is known as CalWORKs.
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Unearned Income (UI) |
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Funds received from sources for which no paid work activity was performed. (Examples: Disability benefits such as SDI, SSDI, SSI, STD, and LTD; income from a trust or investment, dividends, profits, or funds received from any source other than work are all examples of unearned income.) |
Work Goal |
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The specific job an individual wishes to have after completing a Plan for Achieving Self-Support. Also known as a vocational or occupational goal.
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