S

Sabbatical

Plain Language Description

Extended time off from work, usually unpaid, for personal growth, education, or rest.

Full Description

Extended time off from work, usually unpaid, for personal growth, education, or rest.

Source: Sabbatical | Definition

Self-Employed

Plain Language Description

Self-employed is when you work for yourself and not for an employer.

Full Description

Not working for an employer but finding work for yourself or having your own business.

Source: Self-Employed Definition

Severance Pay

Plain Language Description

Money you might get if you lose your job to help you until you find a new one.

Full Description

Severance pay is often granted to employees upon termination of employment. It is usually based on length of employment for which an employee is eligible upon termination. There is no requirement in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for severance pay. Severance pay is a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee’s representative).

Source: Severance Pay | U.S. Department of Labor

Shift Differential

Plain Language Description

Extra pay for working less desirable hours, such as night shifts or weekends.

Full Description

Shift differential is a premium pay rate for hours worked at untraditional times, such as nights, weekends or holidays. Although not required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), many businesses with round-the-clock operations extend this type of compensation to their hourly employees.

Source: Night Shift Differential

Sick Leave

Plain Language Description

Sick leave means you can take time off from work and still get paid. People use sick leave when they are not feeling well or need to take care of health problems.

You can use sick leave if:

• • You are sick or hurt.

  • You are pregnant or just had a baby.

  • You need to go to the doctor, dentist, or eye doctor.

  • A doctor says you should stay home because you might make others sick.

  • A family member has died, and you need time to plan or go to the funeral.

  • You need to take care of a family member who is sick, hurt, or had a baby.

  • You need to help a family member get to the doctor, dentist, or eye doctor.

  • You need time off to help adopt a child, like meeting with lawyers or going to court.

  • You are getting help for drug or alcohol problems.

  • You need time off to fix or learn how to use something that helps you, like a seeing eye dog.

Sick leave helps people take care of themselves and their families.

Full Description

Sick leave is a period of approved absence with pay from official duties. Sick leave is authorized when an employee is incapacitated for duty as a result of physical or mental illness; injury, pregnancy or childbirth; Receives medical, dental, or optical examinations or treatment; Would endanger the rest of the workforce by being present on the job after exposure to a contagious disease as determined by a health care provider or public health authorities; Makes arrangements necessitated by the death of a family member or arranges for the funeral of a family member, including ceremonies up to one year after the death; Provides care for a family member (1) who is incapacitated as a result of mental or physical conditions, including pregnancy, childbirth and before/after care of the mother; (2) who requires assistance to medical, optical, dental examinations or treatments; or (3) with a serious health condition; Must be absent from duty for purposes relating to his/her adoption of a child, including appointments with adoption agencies, social workers, and attorneys; court proceedings; required travel; and any other activities necessary to allow the adoption to proceed; Participates in a drug or alcohol counseling program, or other counseling program which is under the auspices of a licensed practitioner and which has been prescribed as treatment by a licensed practitioner; or Requires time to replace or repair a prosthetic device, or train in the use of an aid, e.g., a seeing eye dog.

Source: Sick Leave | U.S. Department of Commerce

Social Security Administration (SSA) 

Plain Language Description

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has three big jobs.

• • First, they give people their Social Security numbers.
  • Second, they run programs that help people who are retired, people whose family member has died, or people with a disability.
  • Third, they help people who are 65 or older, blind, or have a disability by giving them money through a program called Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Full Description

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has two main functions. One is to assign Social Security numbers. The other is to run the Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability insurance programs. A third function is to run the Supplemental Security Income program, for people who are 65 or older, blind, or with a disability.

Source: Social Security Administration (SSA)

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

Plain Language Description

SSDI gives money to people who have a disability or are blind and have worked and paid into Social Security.

You earn this by working and paying taxes. Sometimes, a spouse or parent’s work can help too.

Your children may also get money from your work record.

This program is called Title II of the Social Security Act.

Full Description

SSDI provides benefits to people who developed a disability or blind people who are insured by workers’ contributions to the Social Security trust fund. These contributions are based on your earnings (or those of your spouse or parents). Your dependents may also be eligible for benefits based on your earnings record. Social Security Disability Insurance is authorized under Title II of the Social Security Act.

Source: Red Book

Stock Options

Plain Language Description

This is a benefit that lets workers buy company stock for a cheaper price.

Full Description

A benefit that gives employees the chance to buy company stock at a lower price.

Source: Stock Option Definition

Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE)

Plain Language Description

Starting April 1, 2005, a new rule says that students under age 22 who work can get help from something called the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE).

This rule is not just for kids who get SSI as a child. It helps any student under 22 who works.

SEIE means that some of the money a student earns from working will not count when Social Security looks at how much money they have.

It also helps if a student’s parents or spouse earn money, and it helps married students if both people are under 22 and working.

Full Description

Effective 4/01/05, Section 432 of the Social Security Protection Act extended the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) to all individuals on a record who are working students under the age of 22, not just those who meet the SSI definition of a child. The SEIE will apply to earnings deemed from an ineligible spouse or parent(s) and it will apply to the joint earned income of eligible couples when both members are under age 22 and are working students.

Source: SI 00820.510 Student Earned Income Exclusion

Subsidies and Special Conditions

Plain Language Description

These are extra supports you get at work that might help you earn more money than the work is really worth.

Social Security looks at the value of the work you do—not just how much you get paid—when deciding if your job counts as Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA).

Full Description

Supports you receive on the job that may result in more pay than the actual value of the work you perform. Social Security will use only the actual value of the work you perform when they make an SGA decision.

Source: Red Book

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)

Plain Language Description

To get disability benefits, a person must not be able to work and earn much money. If someone earns more than a certain amount each month, they are usually seen as able to work.

The amount a person can earn and still get benefits depends on their disability. People who are blind have a higher earning limit. People who are not blind have a lower limit.

These money limits can change over time as the average pay in the country changes.

Full Description

To be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA). A person who is earning more than a certain monthly amount (net of impairment-related work expenses) is ordinarily considered to be engaging in SGA. The amount of monthly earnings considered as SGA depends on the nature of a person’s disability. The Social Security Act specifies a higher SGA amount for statutorily blind individuals; Federal regulations specify a lower SGA amount for non-blind individuals. Both SGA amounts generally change with changes in the national average wage index.

Source: Substantial Gainful Activity

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Plain Language Description

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps people who are poor get food. It gives support to families who need help buying food, including those moving from public support programs to work.

Full Description

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides crucial food and nutritional support to qualifying low-income and needy households, and those making the transition from welfare to self-sufficiency.

Source: Benefit, Employment & Support Services

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Plain Language Description

SSI is money that helps people who don’t make very much from work. Most people can’t earn more than $2,019 each month from their job to get SSI. If you are married or a parent applying for your child, the amount can be higher.

They also look at other money you get, like disability pay, unemployment, or pensions.

Adults and kids might get SSI if they:

• • Have little or no money,

  • Don’t own many things, and

  • Have a disability, are blind, or are 65 years old or older.

Full Description

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is generally for individuals who don’t earn more than $2,019 from work each month. The income limit increases for couples and when parents apply for children. We also look at other sources of income besides your job, like disability benefits, unemployment, and pensions.

Adults and children might be eligible for SSI if they have: 

1. 1. Little or no income, and 
   2. Little or no resources, and 
   3. A disability, blindness, or are age 65 or older. 

Source: Benefit, Employment & Support Services