Question: My neighbor, who is retired, told me that the
income he receives from his part-time job at the local nursery gives him an increase in his Social Security benefits. If I go back to work will my benefits increase?
Answer: If you return to work after you start receiving benefits, you may be able to receive a higher benefit based on those earnings. This is because Social Security automatically re-computes the benefit after crediting the additional earnings to the individual's earnings record.
If those earnings are higher than one of the years of earnings we used to compute your benefit, your benefit may be increased. Learn more about how we figure your benefit by reading the Your Retirement Benefit: How It Is Figured, available at www.socialsecuri
ty.gov/pubs/10070.html.
Question: Is there a time limit on how long you can receive Social Security disability benefits?
Answer: Your disability benefits will continue as long as your medical condition does not improve. We will review your case at regular intervals. If you are still receiving disability benefits when you reach full retirement age, we will automatically convert them to retirement benefits.
George Pisanick is the Social Security district manager in Altoona.
