2008 Red Book

INTRODUCING THE RED BOOK 2008

Purpose
of the
Red Book

One of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) highest priorities is to support the efforts of disabled beneficiaries who want to work by developing policies and services to help them reach their employment goal. To that end, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs include a number of employment support provisions commonly referred to as work incentives.

The Red Book is a general reference tool designed to provide a working knowledge of these provisions. The Red Book is written primarily for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve individuals with disabilities. We also expect that applicants and beneficiaries will use it as a self-help guide.

The Red Book contains a general description of our disability-related policies. For information specific to your situation regarding eligibility or benefits, you may need to contact us. You can find contact information in our chapter, HOW TO REACH SOCIAL SECURITY.

The Red Book, including the Spanish language version, is available online at www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook.

Purpose of Employment Supports

Congress intended the employment support provisions to provide you with the assistance you need to move further on the way from benefit dependency to independence. In other words, employment supports help you to enter, re-enter, or stay in the workforce by protecting your eligibility for cash payments and/or health care until you achieve this goal.

Disclaimer

Different rules apply to benefits based on retirement or age. We cover those rules in our other publications. Most SSA publications and other public information materials are available at our Internet site, Social Security Online, located at www.socialsecurity.gov.

“Plain Language”

We tried to make this book clear and brief. To that end, we followed “Plain Language” guidelines. We generally use “we,” “us,” and “our" to refer collectively to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Social Security Act, our regulations, and operating instructions. We use “you” and “your” to refer to the person who is claiming benefits based on disability.

Previous Editions

This 2008 edition replaces all previous editions.