Q: Where Can I Get Help With My Social Security Disability Application
Seek out the assistance of a qualified disability advocate or lawyer who has experience in Social Security Disability. They help disabled Americans file claims by gathering all necessary information and documentation. Going through a disability advocate can potentially decrease the time it takes to receive an approval by 4-10 months and will ensure you receive the max amount of benefits possible. The Disability Care Center is one of these qualified disability advocate organizations that can help assist you file your claim.
An Overview Of Work Credit Requirements For Ssdi
The Social Security Administration says that you generally need at least 40 work credits over your lifetime to qualify for Social Security benefits at retirement. However, the number of credits required to qualify for SSDI varies by age. You do not want to assume that you lack the right amount of work credits based on the facts of another persons situation. We can use the following scenario to explain the work credit system.
Suppose you worked with a 50-year-old man who became too ill to work because of Parkinsons disease, and he had only worked at a job that paid into Social Security for 5 years. You can earn up to 4 work credits a year. In this situation, your coworker would only have 20 work credits, and likely would not qualify for benefits.
If you worked at the same place of employment for 5 years and became disabled, you might assume that you do not have enough work credit but that assumption could be incorrect. For example, if youre 35 years old, you would only need 20 work credits to qualify for SSDI benefits. Again, your age and how long and how recently you worked a job that paid into Social Security will determine how many work credits you need to apply for SSDI.
Workers Who Retire In Certain Foreign Countries
U.S. citizens who travel toor live inmost foreign countries after they retire usually can receive Social Security benefits. However, if that country is Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan, then the government will not send them Social Security payments. Exceptions may be available in all of these countries except Cuba and North Korea. The governments Payments Abroad Screening Tool is an easy way to check if you will be able to continue receiving Social Security benefits while living abroad or if restrictions will apply.
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Q: How To Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits
To apply for disability benefits, an individual may go to the nearest Social Security office and wait in line to file a claim in person. If an individual rather not meet or cannot meet in person, they can call the closest Social Security office and schedule a telephone interview to apply. Filing through the SSA can be a frustrating and difficult task there are private advocacy organizations such as the Disability Care Center who help Americans apply and appeal to get them the benefits they deserve. To learn more about applying for disability benefits, see our Apply for Disability Page.
Ssdi Works Like Insurance
People who have been out of work for several years may not qualify for SSDI, even if they provide extensive medical evidence indicating they are severely impaired. This is because SSDI, created under Title 2 of the Social Security Act, is a disability “insurance program,” hence its full name, Social Security disability insurance . FICA taxes are the premiums that all working citizens in the U.S. pay for SSDI coverage .
Like all insurance policies, SSDI coverage will lapse after a certain amount of time if you don’t pay the premiummeaning, if you stop paying FICA taxes into the Social Security system. The date when your federal disability insurance lapses is called the DLI .
It may seem counterintuitive that someone who has worked most of his or her adult life could be denied SSDI after paying thousands or even tens of thousands into the Social Security system. However, SSDI is not a savings account, but a federal disability insurance program, and if you haven ”t paid FICA taxes in the last 10 years you may find that you are no longer covered.
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Spousal Benefits If You’re Divorced
If you’re not married at the time you hit retirement age, you still have a shot at getting spousal benefits. If you’re divorced but your marriage lasted at least 10 years, and your former spouse is entitled to retirement and/or disability benefits, and you’re currently unmarried, then you’re eligible for spousal benefits just as if you were still married to the qualifying ex-spouse. If your ex-spouse has died before you hit age 62 but you meet all the other requirements for claiming spousal benefits, you can claim survivors benefits just as though you hadn’t been divorced.
No 2 Survivors Benefits If You Are A Widow
If your husband has died and you are a widow, you can collect survivors benefits beginning at age 60. As long as your husband worked long enough to qualify for benefits, you can apply.
Typically, a person needs to earn wages from a job or self-employment for at least 10 years or earn 40 credits.
However, the younger a person is when they died the fewer credits needed in order to collect survivors benefits.
Important You cannot apply for these benefits online. Check the details on survivors benefitson the Social Security Administrations website for more details.
In addition to survivors benefits, you may qualify for a one-time payment of $255.00 if you were living with your husband at the time of his death, or were receiving benefits on his record.
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Q: What Are My Options If The Ssa Denies Me Disability Benefits
When an applicant is denied at the initial stage, they have exactly 65 days from the letter of denials date to file a request for reconsideration. If an applicant waits more than 65 days to file an reconsideration, they will have to start the whole process over with a new application. If you are denied at the request for reconsideration level, you have another 65 days to file an appeal. If you need help filing an appeal or starting a new application, the Disability Care Centers team of qualified Disability advocates is here to assist you. To learn more about appealing a denial, see our Appeals Denial page.
Q: Can I Get Both Workers Compensation And Social Security Disability Benefits
Yes, it is possible to receive both at the same time however there is a counterbalance. In the majority of states, when an individual receives workers compensation it reduces their social security disability benefits. In the minority of states workers compensations is reduced due there is approval of disability benefits.
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Q: How Does The Social Security Administration Define Disability
The Social Security Administration defines a disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of no less than 12 months.
The SSA will consider you disabled if:
You cannot do work that you did before We decide that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
How To File For Disability Without A Strong Work History
When filing for Social Security disability benefits, you must establish two things for the Social Security Administration . First, you must show that you are disabled according to their stringent definition of disability. Second, you must show that you are eligible for Social Security programs.
In the case of Social Security Disability Insurance , this is based on how much you have worked in recent years. For Supplemental Security Income , this means you must show that you have a financial need .
Filing for Social Security disability benefits without a strong work history is more difficult, but not impossible. While the SSA does require that you have worked, earned income, and paid into FICA in order to qualify for SSDI, the work requirements are not as stringent as you may think.
If you do not have a work history, you may still qualify for Supplemental Security Income . SSI is based on financial need, not on work history, allowing those who have not worked still qualify for benefits.
Regardless of your work history, you will still need to meet the medical requirements to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. This means you will have to meet the qualifications listed in the Blue Book for the condition you are experiencing.
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Qualifying When You Have Not Worked
If you haven’t worked enough, there is still hope for your claim. You can apply for Supplemental Security Income benefits. These benefits are for people of all ages with a severe financial need. Rather than taking into consideration the of years worked and work credits, the SSA will look at your income and assets. If you are within the income limits, then you may will qualify for disability benefits.
Medically Qualifying For Ssi
In order to qualify for SSI, you must provide detailed information about your medical condition and how it relates to you inability to work. The starting point is a report from your physician that details your medical history as it pertains to your diagnosis.
You should include all lab tests, blood test results, imaging results if applicable , surgeries when applicable and your treatment plan. Your treatment plan should detail medications prescribed, treatments and how you are responding to your treatment, as well as any side effects suffered as a result of the treatment.
You will be required to sign a release so that the SSC may contact your doctors with any questions they have, so make sure you have a list of all medical personnel who have worked on your case along with their contact information. Given that the SSA relies on the information provided to make a determination on your eligibility for SSI, you might consider working with a Social Security attorney who specializes in filing claims for disability benefits.
The advantage of hiring a lawyer is that a lawyer understands what medical evidence you need to file your claim and can help ensure that you have everything you need. Hiring a Social Security lawyer can help ease the stress of the filing process by having an advocate or attorney working on your behalf.
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Q: What Is Disability Freeze
In several instances, disabled individuals have gaps in their work history or periods of time when they made less money then usual due to their impairments. These gaps can cause those who qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance to have lower monthly benefits for disability. To help fix this issue, the SSA developed what is called disability freeze. This occurs when the SSA is deciding your monthly disability payments and ignores a period of time in an individuals income history. In result, the disability freeze decreases the impact of the little to no earnings during those given periods.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Food is a necessity SNAP helps you get it.
Better known as food stamps, SNAP provides a monthly stipend for purchasing food products.
The precise amount varies, but generally, it averages out to under $1.50/person/meal.
SNAP does not cover any non-food expense, such as toilet paper, paper plates, napkins, or cooking equipment.
If you get SSI you are also automatically eligible for SNAP.
If there are multiple people in your household who qualify for SNAP, you will receive one card for the household, and the application is also for the entire household.
So if you are applying and supporting a child or children, or if your household includes parents or grandparents who also require SNAP assistance, your application would include all family members and the card would be stocked with payments for each family member.
If you are in the situation where you are living with a roommate or dont have your own property, you are eligible for SNAP if the people you are staying with are not as long as you can prove that you have a separate space to store your food.
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Can You Be Eligible For Disability If You Never Worked
by Guadalupe Ovalle | Sep 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Every person has a unique situation when considering applying for Social Security Disability benefits. If you have not worked during your life, you may be wondering, can you get disability if you never worked? Were here to help answer this question.
If you never worked, you can be eligible for Supplemental Security Income and survivors benefits. However, you cannot directly apply for Social Security Disability insurance because it is a work-based program.
Contact us now to find out if you qualify for Social Security Income!
You Have Been Convicted Of A Crime
Certain conditions related to conviction of a crime or imprisonment will prevent you from receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits. They are as follows.
- You are in prison after being convicted of a felony, unless you are in a court-approved rehabilitation program that is likely to result in your getting a job when you get released, and your release is expected to occur within a reasonable amount of time.
- You were injured while committing a felony and were convicted of the crime. The impairmentor the worsening of an existing impairmentthat you suffered during the commission of a felony cannot be used as a basis for applying for disability benefits.
- You were injured while in prison. The impairmentor the worsening of an existing impairmentthat you suffered while you were in prison cannot be used to obtain benefits. But you can generally receive benefits after being released from prison.
However, it’s worthwhile to apply for SSDI benefits even if one of the above situations apply to you, because even if you can’t get cash benefits, you may be granted a period of benefit-free disability that will “freeze” your earnings record, keeping your eventual disability, retirement, or dependents benefits from decreasing.
Note these situations do not prevent you from receiving SSI disability benefits, although being incarcerated does keep you from collecting SSI benefits.
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Q: What Are The Work Requirements Established By The Ssa And What Exactly Are Work Credits
The SSA requires that an individual has worked at least 5 out of the past 10 years for them to qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits . The SSA calculates this by awarding work credits when an individual is employed and was paying Social Security taxes. Work credits are based on your income when you were working. Currently, one work credit is equal to $1,220 and an individual can earn no more than 4 work credits per year. To qualify for SSDI, you need to have earned at least 20 work credits in the past 10 years. If you fall below the requirement, you may still qualify for Supplemental Security Insurance .
Q: How Long Does The Disability Application Process Take
The initial application process takes 30 to 90 days for the initial decision. If denied, an individual has 65 days to file a request for reconsideration and will take another 30 to 90 days to receive a decision from the SSA. The application processing time varies depending on your medical condition, documentation provided, and whether or not you were denied and would like to file an appeal.
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If You Become Disabled While You Are Employed
- There is a seven day waiting period for which no benefits are paid. Benefits begin on the eighth consecutive day of disability . If you have been disabled more than seven days, your employer must give you a Statement of Rights under the Disability Benefits Law within five days of learning that you are disabled .
- A “day of disability” is a day on which you were prevented from performing work because of disability and for which you have not received regular wages or remuneration. You are ineligible for disability benefits if you perform any type of work for which you receive wages or profit, even if performed at home.
If You Become Disabled While You Are Unemployed
- If you have been unemployed for less than four weeks
- your disability benefits are provided by your last employer’s disability benefits insurance carrier, and
- the seven-day waiting period applies.
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How To Find Your Work History
Each year the Social Security Administration provides a breakdown of your earnings, including your earnings for the previous year as well as a detailed report of your earnings history. You should receive a copy of this report by mail, but if you need a copy sooner than when it is sent out, you can request a Social Security Earnings report online or by phone.
Your earnings report will detail the years you worked, how much you made each year, the amount you paid into SSDI and the amount of money you would receive if you were to become disabled based on your earnings history through the last complete year of data.
You can contact the Social Security Administration for more information about the information found in your earnings report. Its a good idea to verify that the information included is accurate because this is what will determine your eligibility for SSI benefits and the amount you will receive.
In the event that you haven’t worked enough to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, you’ll be able to get Supplemental Security Income benefits. Social Security has two programs to assist people who are incapable of working due to a debilitating condition .