On October 22, 2019, Social Security Administration announced a 1.6% increase in benefits for 2020. This cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be effective for Social Security disability beneficiaries for their December 2019 benefits that are payable in January of 2020. For SSI beneficiaries, the cost-of-living adjustment will be made for January 2020 but paid on December 31, 2019.
The average Social Security benefit will increase by $20 per month from $1,238 to $1,258. For SSI recipients, the federal maximum will increase from $771 to $783 a month for individuals and from $1,157 to $1,175 for couples. The changes to Medicare premiums have not yet been announced.
The threshold for substantial gainful activity (SGA) will also increase in 2020. In order to be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity. A person who is earning more than a certain monthly amount is ordinarily considered to be engaging in SGA. The threshold for SGA will increase from $1,220 a month for the non-blind and $2,040 for the blind to $1,260 for the non-blind and $2,110 for the blind.
To learn more about Social Security disability and SSI benefits, contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney at Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. today at 251-343-1111 for a free case evaluation. Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. represents Social Security disability claimants in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana at all levels of the disability process from initial application to appeals to Federal Court.