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Medical Social Work
The Reference Book

by John Webb

156 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0275; ISBN 1-55369-462-7; US$24.95, C$38.00, EUR24.70, £17.20

Helpful information for Social Workers. Especially Social Workers in medical settings who need to know about various government programs: Social Security, V.A.,SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, Nursing Homes, How to contact Congress, Federal Poverty Guidelines, Social Work Ethics and other related programs.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpt - Chapter One      catalogue info

About the Book The author combines 36 years experience as a front line Chief Medical Social Worker and Child Welfare Worker with 24 years as a consumer of many of the programs described in the book. The publication includes primarily factual reference material that is used daily by all Social Workers... employed in a medical or psychiatric setting. Chapters include Social Security, SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, Home Health and Hospice, Nursing Home Placement, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Utility Assistance Programs, Talking Book, State Medicaid Programs, Ethics, Congress and the Supreme Court, Veterans Benefits and the Federal Poverty Guidelines. A separate section on Ethics is included that contains the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics as well as Federal Employee Code of Ethics. There are several State by State comparisons of programs not found in any other Social Work Publication. Most of the information is current, including the 2002 Federal Poverty Guidelines. A listing of key Federal Government Officials, Congressmen and U.S. Senators. Throughout the book the author challenges Social Workers to be informed, creative and able.

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About the Author

John Webb grew up in the oilfields of West Texas where he worked as a youth. He served in the U.S. Navy as a deckhand. He began his career in Social Work in 1965 as a Child Welfare Worker. He earned his MSW from Our Lady of the Lake in 1968. He worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Medical Social Worker for 30 years, 20 of which he was a Chief of Social Work Service. He received numerous awards and frequent recognition for programs of excellence.

He and his wife, Bonnie, moved to Puerto Vallarta Mexico two years ago. Together they have 4 children and eight grandchildren. Daughter Christy is presently working on her MSW. John operates the website medical-social-work.com. He is also an apprentice sculptor at La Cantera Workshop in the Island Cuale.

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Sample Excerpt - From Chapter One

Chapter One - Social Security

In the 1930's the Great Depression brought about the realization that most people in the United States could not care for themselves during times of hardship, illness, and old age. Forget FDR and Harry Hopkins. It is my contention that the Social Security system was born in a different manner. Imagine if you will, some dark, smoke filled room, three or four good Democrats getting together and developing the master plan. The final summation must have been something like this. "We have concluded that most Americans lack the ability to save money or otherwise care for themselves when they are not able to work. Old people especially have a difficult time. We need to develop a nationwide welfare program where the government can give these people money. We will have to raise taxes to pay for it, the American people are not ready for a tax increase, and we cannot call it welfare. Americans do not like welfare. The Republicans will never stand for it. We must develop a program that tricks the people, and make them believe they are actually paying for this. We will make them think they are participants in a nationwide insurance program. Since we cannot pass this bill if people think they will have to pay more taxes, we will hide the fact that they are being taxed for it each month, and that they will have no choice but to pay the extra tax. We will tell them that they are paying into the insurance system each month. It will be called Social Security." Surely not everyone in the room believed that the American public could be so easily conned. But regardless, in 1936 was born the greatest and most expensive welfare program the world has ever seen.

• Currently, more than two-thirds of retirees rely on Social Security for at least half of their income.
• In 2002, more than 35 percent of the total federal budget went to Social Security and Medicare.$443 billion in 2002.Plus $229 billion for Medicare.¹
• This is larger than the GNP of all but 7 of the nations of the world.
• The average old age Social Security check was $845.
• The average disability check was $786.
• The average person gets back all the money he has paid into Social Security within 18 to 24 months.²
• The most a person who retired in 2000 could have paid into Social Security at age 65 is $78,832.This person would get $1660 per month and would recoup all money paid into Social Security in less than 45 months.
• And this does not even include Medicare. For every dollar spent on Social Security there is another 54 cents spent on Medicare.

Social Security Programs

There are five primary programs the Social Security Administration administers.³

• Retirement Insurance
• Survivors Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Supplemental Security Income
  
• Health Insurance for the aged, the disabled, and those with end stage renal disease.

Monthly Social Security can be paid to: ^{4 5 6 7}

• A disabled worker under age 65.
• A retired worker at age 62 or over.
• The spouse of a retired or disabled worker entitled to benefits who:
        1.Is age 62 or over, or
        2.Has in care a child under age 16 or over 16 and disabled.
• The divorced spouse of a retired or disabled worker entitled to benefits if age 62 or over and married to the worker for at least 10 years.
• The divorced spouse of a fully insured worker who has not yet filed a claim for benefits if both are age 62 or over, were married at least 10 years, and have been finally divorced for at least 2 continuous years.
• 
  The dependent unmarried child of a retired or disabled worker entitled to benefits, or of a deceased insured worker if the child is:
        1.Under 18 or
        2.Under 19 and a full time elementary or secondary school student or age 18 or over but under a disability which began before age 22.
• The surviving spouse (including a surviving divorced spouse of a deceased insured worker if the widow(er)is age 60 or over.
• The disabled surviving spouse (including the divorced spouse in some cases)of a deceased,insured worker if the widow is age 50-59 and becomes disabled within the specified time frame.
  
• The surviving spouse (including a surviving divorced spouse)of a deceased, insured worker, regardless of age, if caring for an entitled child who is either under age 16 or disabled before age 22.
• The dependent parents of a deceased worker at age 62 or over.

BASIC SOCIAL SECURITY ^{8 9 10}

There are 2 basic types of Social Security: Retirement Insurance and Disability Insurance. One is based on age. The second is based on disability and inability to work. To get either, the person must have worked for an employer who paid into Social Security.¹¹

Age based Social Security requires 10 years coverage. Disability Social Security requires 5 of the last 10 years coverage.

Rather than counting by years,Social Security uses the more exact terms "credits" and "quarter of coverage." Or the SSA will only pay Social Security to a person age 62 or older if they have paid in 40 quarters. And disability is paid only to people who have worked 20 of the last 40 quarters under Social Security.^{12 13}

"You earn up to a maximum of 4 credits for each year by working jobs covered by Social Security or by operating your own business as a self-employed person. Before 1978, when employers reported employers reported wages every 3 months, we called credits "quarters of coverage", or QCs. Back then, you got a QC or credit if you earned at least $50 in a 3-month calendar quarter.

Starting with 1978, employers report earnings just once a year. Credits are now based on your total wages and self-employment income during the year, no matter when you do the actual work. You might work all year to earn your 4 credits, or you might earn enough for all 4 in a much shorter length of time.

The amount of earnings it now takes to earn a credit changes each year. In 2001, you earn one credit for each $830 of your earnings. So if you have earned at least $3320 during the year, you get the maximum 4 credits."

Self employed persons, domestic workers, interns, student nurses, ministers, fishing boat crews, farm laborers, soldiers and sailors, and several other vocations have different requirements.

The SSA is very strict about this. And they maintain a complete list on every person who has ever worked under Social Security. The document is called an "Earnings Record" and this is available for the asking. Each person's yearly earnings record is shown, as well as whether the person was covered each quarter by Social Security.

ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER

The Social Worker can play an important role in this area, especially if the person falls short by 1 or 2 quarters. By obtaining a copy of the person's "Earnings Record" the Social Worker can discuss this document in detail with the client, and compare it with the person's memory and own records, if there are any. This document is broken down by each year the person was old enough to work, and further detailed by "quarters." Each quarter of each year is indicated by whether it is covered (c ) or not covered (n.)⁴

Many times people work for employers who fail to pay Social Security. This can be for a variety of reasons from an honest oversight to a consistent pattern of deliberate non- payment. Some employers will correct the mistake when contacted by the Social Worker. There is some paperwork involved, and the employer may be more agreeable if the Social Worker completes the papers. There is also money involved. In recent years this may be as much as 7.5% by the employer, and the same or an equal amount by the worker.¹¹

There are several special rules for persons under age 30 and Social Security workers are very cooperative about what is needed.¹⁴...

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Catalogue Information

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