Social Worker's Guide to Public Benefits Program

Self-Study Examination

Instructions: After studying the text answer the following true/false or multiple choice questions.  Remember, there's only one answer to each question.

1. In which year did the Social Security Act become law?

a) 1920
b) 1935
c) 1945
d) 1965

2. Divorced spouse of an insured worker regardless of age can receive survivor's benefits on the worker's Social Security record as long as the divorced spouse has not remarried.

a) True
b) False

3. How long does a person have to have remained married to be considered a "surviving divorced spouse"?

a) 6 months
b) 5 years
c) 10 years
d) there's no time restriction

4. What is the surviving child's benefit rate?

a) 100% of the deceased parent's primary insurance amount
b) 75% of the deceased parent's primary insurance amount
c) 50% of the deceased parent's primary insurance amount

5. What is the surviving parent's insurance benefit rate if both parents are entitled to benefits on the same earnings record?

a) 150 percent of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount
b) 82.5 percent of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount
c) 75 percent of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount
d) 50 percent of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount

6. What is the waiting period (after applying) before a person becomes eligible to receive disability benefits?

a) 30 days
b) 5 months
c) 6 months
d) there's no waiting period

7. Disability benefits do not cover impairments relating to drug or alcohol abuse.

a) True
b) False

8. Under SSI, what is the minimum age limit for establishing eligibility based on blindness or disability?

a) 18
b) 21
c) there is no minimum age limit

9. If the person receiving SSI has any earned income, the benefit amounts are reduced dollar-for-dollar against the income.

a) True
b) False

10. How are SSI benefits financed?

a) Social Security
b) Medicare trust finds
c) payroll taxes
d) general funds of the U.S. treasury

11. In order to be eligible for SSI benefits, one has to be 65 or older, blind, or disabled-regardless of income or assets.

a) True
b) False

12. Illegal immigrants are eligible for SSI if they fall under the category of blind or disabled.

a) True
b) False

13. Can a person's private pension reduce his or her SSI benefits?

a) yes
b) no

14. All of the following are not considered income for SSI purposes except:

a) income tax refunds
b) proceeds of a loan
c) replacement of a stolen paycheck
d) money paid by someone on your behalf
e) goods or services you receive as a result of the payments

15. Which of the following is a non-liquid resource for SSI purposes?

a) savings account
b) stocks, bonds
c) automobile
d) promissory note

16. Under what conditions does Social Security pay disability benefits?

a) partial disability
b) short-term disability
c) disability that is expected to last at least one year or result in death
d) any of the above

17. If a disabled person's medical condition is on the List of Impairments, it automatically means the person is disabled as defined by law.

a) True
b) False

18. If a claimant was judged to be disabled on Oct. 20, when would he receive his first benefit check?

a) November
b) December
c) February
d) April
e) May

19. For consultative examinations, SSA generally prefers using an independent source (other than the treating source.)

a) True
b) False

20. The criteria for a listed impairment includes:

a) the impairment is permanent or expected to result in death
b) the impairment has lasted or is expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months
c) the impairment is severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity
d) all of the above

21. In evaluating a person's disability, SSA rules state that the absence of a listing-level impairment does not mean the individual is not disabled.

a) True
b) False

22. Prior to the enactment of PRWORA, what was the average length of stay on welfare for families enrolled at any given time?

a) 1 year
b) 7 years
c) 8 years
d) 13 years

23. When was the PRWORA signed into law?

a) 1935
b) 1987
c) 1996

24. The PRWORA aims to limit the receipt of cash benefits by welfare recipientsto___ years.

a) 1
b) 3
c) 5
d) 7

25. The new law creates the "Individual Functional Assessment" (IFA) process to determine if a child qualifies for SSI.

a) True
b) False

26. Public Law 104-193 severely restricts most public benefits to ________ aliens.

a) legal
b) illegal
c) legal and illegal

27. Which of the following cash welfare programs were replaced by the TANF block grant?

a) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
b) AFDC Administration
c) Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) Program
d) Emergency Assistance Program
e) all of the above

28. Generally, in order to continue receiving assistance through the block grant, adults are required to "engage in work" after ________.

a) 2 months
b) 6 months
c) 1 year
d) 2 years

29. The new law allows States to end the practice of providing extra Federal payments to families that have an additional child while on welfare.

a) True
b) False

30. The new law combats out-of-wedlock births and promotes paternity establishment. Select the True statement from below:

a) Unmarried teen parents must live at home or in another adult-supervised setting and attend school in order to be eligible for payments.
b) States may end cash payments altogether for teen parents who have children outside of marriage.
c) States must reduce cash welfare payments by at least 25 percent for families that include a parent who fails to cooperate in establishing paternity or obtaining child support.
d) all of the above

31. Does the new law give the States more or less latitude in the use of Federal funds and in developing innovative programs?

a) more
b) less

32. Under the new law States are prohibited from doing all of the following except:

a) pay benefits to parents who fail to participate in work after 24 months of receiving welfare
b) provide cash or noncash TANF benefits to families in which an adult member already has received assistance for 5 years
c) test recipients for use of controlled substances and sanction those who test positive
d) pay TANF benefits to noncitizens during their first five years in the United States

33. The law prohibits States from using Federal welfare block grant funds to all of the following categories of people except:

a) families that include a child who has been absent from the home for more than 45 days
b) fugitive felons
c) persons convicted of a felony involving the possession, use, or distribution of illegal drugs
d) unmarried teen parents if they live in a family with an adult or attend school

34. Under the new law SSI benefits are not available to children with maladaptive behavior.

a) True
b) False

35. SSI and food stamps are generally not available to:

a) legal immigrants
b) illegal aliens
c) either of the above

36. When did Medicaid become law?

a) 1935
b) 1956
c) 1965
d) 1976

37. Medicaid is a:

a) Federal program
b) State program
c) program jointly funded by the Federal and State governments

38. Medicaid provides medical assistance to all poor persons.

a) True
b) False

39. Select the True statement from below:

a) Most legal resident aliens are ineligible for Medicaid for 5 years.
b) States are required to provide emergency medical services to aliens.
c) both of the above
d) none of the above

40. How much did Medicaid pay on average to health-care vendors per beneficiary in 2001?

a) $1,305
b) $1,725
c) $3,965
d) $10,455

41. How much did Medicaid pay on average for nursing home facility services per beneficiary in 2001?

a) $3,475
b) $10,455
c) $16,350
d) $21,890

42. If a person is covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, which program pays for the covered services first before the other program kicks in?

a) Medicare
b) Medicaid

43. Under the transfer of assets provisions, States can "look back" to find transfers of assets for ______ months prior to the date the individual is institutionalized.

a) number of months that the individual is expected to stay in the nursing home
b) 36
c) 60

44. If a transfer of assets for less than fair market value is found, what is the maximum penalty period?

a) 30 months
b) 36 months
c) 60 months
d) there's no limit

45. In determining whether a trust is available to an individual, Medicaid would look at the purpose of the trust to determine eligibility for Medicaid.

a) True
b) False

46. What is the maximum Protected Resource Amount (PRA) available to the spouse living in the community when the other spouse enters a nursing facility?

a) one-half of the couple's combined resources
b) community spouse's separate property
c) $90,660 (in 2003)

47. For Medicaid eligibility purposes, the community spouse's income is considered available to the spouse who is in the medical facility.

a) True
b) False

48. The 5-year ban against receiving Medicaid applies to:

a) illegal immigrants
b) qualified aliens
c) lawful permanent residents
d) refugees
e) a and b only

49. Which category of people can receive emergency medical treatment?

a) qualified aliens
b) unqualified aliens
c) undocumented aliens
d) all of the above

50. Does the five-year bar apply to immigrants who entered the United States prior to August 22, 1996, but obtained qualified alien status on or after that date?

a) yes
b) no

51. When does the clock on the five-year bar begin to run?

a) the date the immigrant obtains qualified alien status
b) the immigrant's date of entry

52. Most people who qualify for food stamp benefits generally start receiving them within ____ days.

a) 1
b) 7
c) 30
d) 90

53. Which of the following statements is not True regarding food stamp eligibility?

a) U.S. citizens and many non-citizens are eligible for the program.
b) In order to receive food stamp benefits, one has to have a Social Security number.
c) Person who is on strike because of a labor dispute is eligible.
d) Most able-bodied students ages 18 through 49 enrolled in school at least half time are not eligible for food stamp benefits.

54. Which of the items listed below can be bought using food stamps?

a) toothpaste
b) alcoholic beverages and tobacco
c) vitamins and medicines
d) hot foods
e) none of the above

55. Which agency is responsible for administering the food stamp program?

a) Social Security Administration
b) Department of Health and Human Services
c) U.S. Department of Agriculture
d) Department of Commerce

56. People who receive food stamp benefits in error must repay any benefits for which they did not qualify.

a) True
b) False

57. Considering population characteristics of households receiving food stamp benefits, which of the following is an incorrect statement?

a) Households with children receive a major share of food stamps.
b) The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $633.
c) Less than 10 percent of all participants are elderly.
d) Of all the ethnic groups including whites, African-Americans represent the biggest group of food stamp benefit recipients.

58. Food stamp benefits are designed so that recipient households would need to spend about 30 percent of their resources on food.

a) True
b) False

59. Food stamps typically cover a family's entire need for food.

a) True
b) False

60. Who administers WIC at the Federal level?

a) Social Security Administration
b) Department of Health and Human Services
c) Department of Labor
d) The Food and Nutrition Service

61. Everyone who is eligible receives WIC.

a) True
b) False

62. To be eligible for WIC on the basis of income, what should the applicant's maximum gross income be?

a) below the Federal poverty guidelines
b) at the Federal poverty level
c) at or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines

63. Under the School Breakfast Program, all children at a participating school receive free breakfasts regardless of income.

a) True
b) False

64. Schools that participate in the Special Milk Program must operate their milk programs on a nonprofit basis.

a) True
b) False

65. The cost of the Special Milk Program has been steadily going down over the years.

a) True
b) False

66. Under what conditions does Social Security pay disability benefits?

a) partial disability
b) short-term disability
c) disability that is expected to last at least one year or result in death
d) any of the above