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SSi Benefits Are Explained Scottsboro
By Charles Hartsog,
Manager
Rockingham County
Social Services Office
On January 2, 1974 postmen
began delivering a new benefit
check to thousands of homes in
the United States. This was the
month in which Supplemental
Security Income, a federal
assistance program for the
aged, blind and disabled was
initiated.
Most of the recipients of the
gold-colored check in January,
1974, had been previously
receiving an assistance payment
from their particular state’s
public welfare department.
However, the Social Security
Administration, selected to
administer the new program,
had also been busy since about
July, 1973, setting up public
information programs, taking
new claims and establishing
eligibility for thousands of
recipients who were to receive
their first assistance check in
January.
There was considerable
confusion during that initial six-
month period. Many of those
who filed for the supplemental
income with social security, had
never before filed for assistance.
The social security employees
in the field were faced with
assimilating hundreds of pages
of new laws and instructions and
converting this information into
language which could be easily
understood by the applicants.
Now, two years after the
program began, it api^rs that
some confusion still exists about
the program and its purpose.
One often hears the supple
mental security income benefit
referred to as supplemental
social security. The impression
is, that once started, the SSI
check will continue with the
same regularity as the
accustomed social security
check. Due to the nature of an
assistance benefit however, this
is not always the case.
As the word assistance
implies, eligibility for a payment
7 Months Old
Samantha Hope Bowling,
seven months old, is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel Bowling of Eden. Her
father is a weaver at the
Karastan Rug Mill. Grand
parents are Mr. and Mrs. Clar
ence Bowling.
Mr. Bowling is a fixer in the
Cotton Carding Department at
the Blanket Greige Mill. Great-
grandparents are Mrs. Nellie
Lowe and Mr. and Mrs. Paul
Hall. Mr. Hall is a slubber tender
at the Bedspread Mill.
is based entirely upon financial
need. Even though one of the
basic requirements such as
being over age 65 may obviously
be met, each individual recipient
is unique in this respect.
Therefore, the supplement to
which he is entitled could range
from as little as $1.00 to the
maximum for an individual of
$157.70 per month.
The amount is determined by
his particular circumstances
and is subject to immediate
change as events occur which
effect his circumstances.
We have found that many
people are being overpaid and
. many others underpaid because
of their failure to report changes
to the social security office.
An example could be the man
whose only income is SSI and
who moves from the home of a
relative into his own house or
apartment. He could be entitled
- to an additional $52.56 per
month, but the adjustment in his
monthly check cannot be made
unless he reports the change.
The reverse could mean that
by moving into someone’s home
from his own, he is being
overpaid by $52.56 per month.
His failure to report could also
cause a penalty which would be
added to the overpayment and
then withheld from future
benefits.
The Social Security Ad
ministration contacts each re
cipient of the supplement once a
year to determine whether the
correct amount is being paid.
But its prime concern now is to
insure that recipients realize
that reporting changes is their
responsibility and that waiting
for the annual redetermination
could mean that badly needed
additional income is not
received when most needed or
that a sizable overpayment will
have to be repaid.
Anyone receiving the supple
mental income can receive com
plete reporting information by
calling the Reidsville Social
Security Office at 349-2356 and
asking for pamphlet No. 11.
Tax Tip
(Continued from Page One)
time you finance your
house. The amount of the
“points is generally
one percent of the mortgage
but may vary in different
areas.
For example, if you
borrowed $25,000 to finance
your home, you probably
paid at least $250 in
“points” that are deductible
as interest paid on your
house mortgage.
If you failed to claim this
as a deduction in 1972, 1973
or 1974, or if you have
already filed your 1975 tax
return, you should file an
amended return on Form
1040X and claim a tax
refund.
Dividend Voted
Directors of Fieldcrest Mills,
Inc. voted on March 4 to pay a
quarterly dividend of $.25 per
share on March 31 to holders of
record March 17.
Employees
Give Blood
Employees at the Scottsboro
Rug Mill recently participated in
an in-plant Bloodmobile visit,
with 33 employees donating.
This brings the plant’s total to 80
donors during the past year, or
40 percent employee
participation.
The visit was made available
through the local American Red
Cross Chapter. Several other
area industries also
participated.
The Scottsboro plant’s top
three life-time donors are
Roberta Campbell, 24 pints; Bob
Durham, 32 pints; and James
Guffey, 24 pints.
In photograph at right,
Elizabeth Boyd has blood test
prior to donating blood. In lower
photo, Pauline Potter is giving
blood.
Because of the outstanding
employee participation at the
plant, each employee has been
issued a Blood Donor Assurance
card which entitles the employee
and members of his or her
immediate family to receive
blood without obligatioj]
replace or pay for the
the period of one year. In ® w
to be eligible for these
all employees, 35 jj
employee participation i
required. ■'*
Grandchildren of Employee
Darla, five years old, and
Duane, seven years old, are the
children of Mr. and Mrs. David
Moorehead of Spartanburg, S.C.
They are the grandchildren of
John Moorehead, a picker fixer
at the Alexander Sheeting Mill at
Forest City.
George D. McBa®; oj;
recently joined Fieldcrest
Inc., as a shift foreman
Spinning-Twisting Depa
at the Laurelcrest Yarn
A native of Hamlet,
Not Enough Years
Due to a typing error. Myrtle
R. Harris was shown in the last
issue of The Mill Whistle as
having 45 years of service when
she retired effective February 1.
Actually, Mrs. Harris had 47
years of continuous service. She
worked the entire time at the
Bedspread .^Mill as a spooler
tender or winder. The Mill
Whistle regrets the error and is
glad to make this correction.
graduate of
University with a B.S.
business administration-
formerly employed by So%]
Asbestos ComP**
Bennettsville, S.C. ji
Mr. McRae is married n® jl
father of three childr®^’
hobbies include hunting
fishing.
•ct*'
THE MILL WHI =