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Additionally, the program is administered by the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) and not by Social Security Administration (SSA). Both retirement and disability benefits are available and are counted as income. These benefits are administered by the Social Security Administration, and payments are often combined with regular Social Security if the person is eligible. These benefits can be verified using the same methods as Social Security. Railroad benefits should be calculated based on the net amount. Retirement Any ongoing, recurring retirement payments are counted as income. A lump sum pension or retirement payment that represents the employee's contribution and/or interest is excluded as income. Royalties Royalties include payment for copyrighted or patented property of a household member, such as payments for the right to use copyrighted materials, licensed products, patented items etc. Royalties may be documented by statements or by contracts with the entity paying the royalty. Documentation of a period of income from the royalties may also be used. Social Security Benefits Benefits administered by the Social Security Administration include Social Security retirement benefits, Social Security disability benefits, and Supplemental Security Income assistance. These benefits may be recurring, regular or underpayments.

Only benefits paid during the three-month calculation period should be counted. The net amount of the Social Security check, after the deduction for Medicare Part B premiums and/or Part D, overpayment recovery, tax withholdings, and child support garnishments, is to be used to compute income. Social Security benefits paid to a surviving spouse in the name of the surviving children are counted as income to the household. Children under age 18 may receive benefits from SSA if they or one or both of their parents are disabled. Typically, this income is received addressed to the child in care of an adult payee. While EAP generally excludes income received by individuals under 18, any SSA benefits received by a household are to be included as income. For the purposes of assigning income in the statewide database, these benefits should be assigned to the adult payee. If an adult payee’s only source of income is a child’s SSA benefit, the household member must complete Form UIV- 2026 – Undocumented Income Statement. The Social Security Administration sends SSA-1099’s each January to everyone who receives Social Security benefits. 1099s are eligible documentation from January 1 – April 15. They show the total amount of benefit in the previous year and is used for tax purposes. Several versions of the 1099 are used, depending on the nature of the income transaction (i.e. SSA-1099-SM). Social Security beneficiaries can obtain replacement SSA-