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Can You Get Social Security And Disability

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Can I Receive Both Ssi And Ssdi At The Same Time

Can You Get 2 Social Security Disability Checks?

Can I Receive both SSI and SSDI at the Same Time?

In some circumstances, you can receive both Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits at the same time. This is commonly referred to as concurrent benefits. To receive concurrent benefits, you must be approved for SSDI, but receive low monthly payments through the program.

A low monthly SSDI benefit is caused by several factors:

  • You have worked very little or not at all in the last 10 years
  • You had very little work history at the time you became disabled
  • You became disabled at a young age, before building a significant work history
  • You earned relatively low wages throughout the course of your employment history

All of these factors can influence the amount of SSDI benefits because payments are based on meeting minimum health eligibility requirements and having sufficient work credits built up over the course of your employment history. To learn more about work credits, .

SSI is an income-based or financial need-based program. All income from countable sources is reviewed to determine whether you meet the requirements for the SSI program.

Countable income is made up of earned income as well as several types of unearned income. SSDI payments are considered to be unearned income. In other words, any money you earn cannot exceed established minimums under the SSI program.

Number Of Credits Needed For Disability Benefits

To be eligible for disability benefits, you must meet a recent work test and a duration work test.

The number of credits necessary to meet the recent work test depends on your age. The rules are as follows:

  • Before age 24 – You may qualify if you have 6 credits earned in the 3-year period ending when your disability starts.
  • Age 24 to 31 In general, you may qualify if you have credit for working half the time between age 21 and the time you become disabled. As a general example, if you become disabled at age 27, you would need 3 years of work out of the past 6 years .
  • Age 31 or older – In general, you must have at least 20 credits in the 10-year period immediately before you become disabled.

The following table shows how many years of work credits you need to meet the duration of work test based on your age when your disability began. For the duration of work test, your work does not have to fall within a certain period. The table only provides an estimate of how many work credits you need. It does not cover all situations. If you are statutorily blind, you must only meet the duration of work test. When statutory blindness is involved, there is not a recent work test requirement.

NOTE: This table is an estimate only and does not cover all situations

If you become disabled…
9.5 years

The Facts On Social Security Disability Insurance And Supplemental Security Income For Workers With Disabilities

Endnotes and citations are available in the PDF and Scribd versions.

Nearly one out of every six working-age Americans29.5 million peoplehas a disability, making them much more likely to experience economic hardship than people without disabilities. Many people with disabilities are able to work, although they face greater challenges finding work than people without disabilities. But many individuals with severe and long-lasting disabilities have no or only limited capacity to work and are particularly vulnerable to economic hardship.

For roughly 12 million people with disabilities, Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income, both core components of our nations Social Security system, provide critical lifelines. The modest but vital assistance that Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security provide makes it possible for individuals with severe disabilities and health conditions to live independently, keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, and pay for needed, often life-sustaining medications and other basic expenses.

This issue brief answers some of the common questions about Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security. Our focus in this brief is on nonelderly adults with severe disabilities. It is important to note, however, that Supplemental Security also provides vital support to some 1.2 million children with severe disabilities, as well as more than 2 million low-income seniors.

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Social Security Disability Is Already A Form Of Early Retirement Benefits

Updated By Bethany K. Laurence, Attorney

You can’t receive Social Security retirement benefits and disability benefits at the same time . The Social Security disability program exists to provide disability benefits to those who are unable to work as a result of their conditions and who are too young to draw their retirement benefits. In this sense, Social Security disability insurance can be thought of as a retirement benefit for those who are forced to retire early. If you do collect SSDI disability benefits, they will be converted to retirement benefits when you reach full retirement age.

Myth: Ssdi Will Replace Most Of Your Work

Can You Get Disability Without a Lawyer?

“Social security disability payments are modest,” Jarrett says. “At the beginning of 2015, Social Security paid an average monthly disability benefit of $1,165.” The payment is meant to help people meet basic living needs, and the program is designed to replace some, but not all, lost income.

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“It’s a safety net for those who are no longer able to work on a regular basis,” explains Proudian.

“You can’t expect that it’s going to replace your income 100 percent,” says;Kimberly Calder, director of health policy for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and a patient advocate.

Social security disability insurance is not the same as;Supplemental Security Income;, a federal income supplement program.;One difference between the SSI and SSDI programs is how they are funded. With SSDI, employment taxes primarily finance Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability insurance benefits. Generally, Social Security pays benefits to eligible workers and their families based on the workers earnings, Jarrett says.

You can also return to work while collecting SSDI benefits. We have special rules to help you get back to work without jeopardizing your initial benefits. You may be able to have a trial work period for nine months to test whether you can work, he explains.

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Can You Receive Retroactive Payments

Once the SSA approves your SSDI application and calculates your monthly benefit, you may be entitled to a back pay award. How many months of payments you will receive will depend on the date you applied for benefits and your disability onset date.

If you are applying for SSDI benefits, you need the assistance of a skilled Social Security disability lawyer to get your application approved and receive the benefits you deserve. To schedule a free consultation with a member of our legal team, fill out the online form on this page or call our Roswell office today.

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The Importance Of Household Income

Unfortunately, your Social Security disability alone doesnt determine whether you receive food stamps. The combined income of your household is used to determine whether your income meets the gross and net income tests. A household is defined as anyone who shares meals and expenses. Each household member over the age of 18 must submit income verification information along with your food stamp application. Documentation in the form of pay stubs or tax returns, if the person is self employed, is required.

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How Your Ssdi Payments Are Calculated

The severity of your disability will not affect the amount of SSDI benefits you receive. The Social Security Administration will determine your payment based on your lifetime average earnings before you became disabled. Your benefit amount will be calculated using your covered earnings. These are your earnings at jobs where your employer took money out of your wages for Social Security or FICA.

Your SSDI monthly benefit will be based on your average covered earnings over a period of time, which is referred to as your average indexed monthly earnings . The SSA uses these amounts in a formula to determine your primary insurance amount . This is the basic amount used to establish your benefit.

SSDI payments range on average between $800 and $1,800 per month. The maximum benefit you could receive in 2020 is $3,011 per month. The SSA has an online benefits calculator that you can use to obtain an estimate of your monthly benefits.

How To I Know If I Get Ssi Or Ssdi

Do I Get Medicare If I’m Getting Social Security Disability Benefits?

There are couple of ways you will know if you get SSI or SSDI. For example, if you at one point could work, but you can no longer work anymore because of a disability or a serious ailment like cancer, you will most likely get SSDI.

That is because SSDI eligibility is based on the severity of your disability and if you have enough work credits through your own employment.

The way you know if you will get SSI, is that if you have a disability or a serious ailment and with limited or no income and resources.

If you have very little income and resources, plus you get a low monthly payment from SSDI, there is a chance that you can qualify for SSI as well. To which you will be able to receive concurrent disability benefits from the SSA.

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The Basics About Disability Benefits

The SSDI program pays benefits to you and certain if you are insured. This means that you worked long enough and recently enough – and paid Social Security taxes on your earnings. The program pays benefits to adults and children with disabilities who have limited income and resources.

While these two programs are different, the medical requirements are the same. If you meet the non-medical requirements, monthly benefits are paid if you have a medical condition expected to last at least one year or result in death.

Should I Pursue Social Security Disability Benefits

Thus, the factors that one should consider when pursuing Social Security Disability concurrent with a FERS Disability Retirement application, should take into account the following questions:

  • Will I be working at a private sector job, and if so, how soon after I begin receiving a FERS Disability Retirement annuity, and approximately how much will I expect to be making?
  • While the combination of FERS Disability Annuity and the SSDI payments will net me more, will it be worthwhile if I go out and get a job that exceeds the Social Security threshold of acceptable limits?; For, as a practical matter, while the offset against a FERS annuity payment is supposed to be recalculated by OPM if the SSDI benefit is lost, the reality is that OPM is a large and rather unresponsive bureaucracy, so that getting the full benefit back will often take up a great amount of time several months, at least.
  • Do I expect to work at a private sector job that will make pursuing SSDI impractical, and therefore should I put in the minimum effort necessary to simply comply with the requirement of filing for SSDI?

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Benefits For A Disabled Child

A child under age 18 may be disabled, but we don’t need to consider the child’s disability when deciding if he or she qualifies for benefits as a dependent. The child’s benefits normally stop at age 18 unless he or she is a full-time student in an elementary or high school or is disabled.

Children who were receiving benefits as a minor child on a parents Social Security record may be eligible to continue receiving benefits on that parents record upon reaching age 18 if they are disabled.

Tips For Navigating Social Security

Can You Get Kicked Off of Social Security Disability?
  • A financial advisor can help you account for the various sources of retirement income, including Social Security benefits. SmartAssets free financial advisor matching tool can pair you with up to three advisors in your area. Get started now.
  • If youre applying for Social Security disability benefits, youll need to fill out form SSA-827. This provides your consent for the SSA and Disability Determination Services to view your medical records.
  • Dealing with a disability, either temporary or permanent, is hard enough without considering the financial impact. Having an emergency fund in place for unpredictable things like this can be a huge relief.

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Apply For Benefits Online

You should apply for disability benefits as soon as you become disabled. Follow these easy steps to apply online for disability:

  • To start your application, go to our Apply for Benefits page, and read and agree to the Terms of Service. Click Next.
  • On that page, review the Getting Ready section to make sure you have the information you need to apply.
  • Select Start A New Application.
  • We will ask a few questions about who is filling out the application.
  • You will then sign into your mySocial Security account, or you will be prompted to create one.
  • Complete the application.

You can use the online application to apply for disability benefits if you:

  • Are age 18 or older.
  • Are not currently receiving benefits on your own Social Security record.
  • Are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death; and
  • Have not been denied for disability in the last 60 days.
  • Note: If your application was recently denied, our application is a starting point to request a review of the determination we made.

You may be able to file online for SSI at the same time that you file for SSDI benefits. Once you complete the online process above, a Social Security representative will contact you if we need additional information.

Fers Disability Retirement And Ssdi Offset

The plain fact is that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management doesnt care a twit about Social Security Disability Insurance unless it is approved, and that, only if the FERS Disability Retirement;application is also approved.; For, if both are approved , then the law requires an offset between the two 100% offset in the first year of concurrent payments , then a 60% offset during the subsequent concurrent years of payments .; It is the offset itself which OPM is concerned about, and since Social Security payments are primary while the FERS Disability Annuity is secondary , OPM is concerned that an approval of SSDI benefits will therefore impact the amount of annuity payments calculated by OPMs disability retirement payments.

How does the interactive process work between filing for a FERS Disability Retirement and Social Security Disability Insurance?; Here is an example:

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Benefits Of Receiving Both Ssi And Ssdi

SSDI and SSI benefits together can be helpful because they could get you as much money as possible through the SSA. For example, if you are already qualify for SSDI benefits, getting approved for SSI could increase your payout to the maximum of $794. Even if you started off getting SSI benefits, applying for SSDI could also raise your payments to $794.

The other benefit of getting SSDI and SSI is that you could be eligible for Medicare and Medicaid together. SSI receipts in most states are eligible for Medicaid as soon as they are for SSI. SSDI recipients are eligible for Medicare two years after their disability onset date. Medicare is generally accepted by more doctors, but Medicaid is more affordable and you dont have to wait for it.

What Is A Social Security Card

Can I collect Social Security Retirement and Social Security Disability?

Your Social Security card is an important piece of identification. You’ll need one to get a job, collect Social Security, or receive other government benefits.

When you apply for a Social Security number , the Social Security Administration will assign you a nine-digit number. This is the same number that is printed on the Social Security card that SSA will issue you. If you change your name, you will need to get a corrected card.

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What Is The Disability Standard For Disability Insurance And Supplemental Security

Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security are reserved for workers with the most severe disabilities and conditions, and both use the same strict disability standard: inability to engage in substantial gainful activitydefined as being able to earn $1,040 a month in 2013due to one or more severe physical or mental impairments that are expected to last at least a year or could result in death. A workers impairment or combination of impairments must be so severe that the applicant is not only unable to do his or her previous work but also unableconsidering his or her age, education, and work experienceto engage in any other kind of substantial gainful work that exists in significant numbers in the national economy.

Medical evidence is the cornerstone for the determination of disability in both programs. To qualify, there must be medical evidence from a doctor, specialist, or certain other licensed or certified medical sources that documents a severe impairment. Evidence from other health care providerssuch as nurse practitioners or clinical social workersis not sufficient to document a severe medical impairment. And statements from the applicants themselves, their families, co-workers, friends, or neighbors are not treated as medical evidence.

Disabled Folks Over 65 Can Collect Social Security Disability Benefits Rather Than Retirement

By Lorraine Netter, Contributing Author

Some individuals who are over the age of 65 may not have the desire or financial ability to retire, but become disabled and are unable to continue working. Individuals who don’t wish to start collecting Social Security retirement benefits may be eligible to receive Social Security Disability benefits if they can prove a disability keeps them from working. See our article on collecting disability and retirement for why collecting disability can be better than starting to collect retirement.

Social Security adds a few distinctions to the rules for those who are over 65 when applying for benefits. In general, these rules help those over 65 in the evaluation process.

The rules that apply to those over 65 can be divided by the method of qualifying for disability benefits. Individuals over 65 can qualify for benefits in two ways.

  • Meeting or equaling a listing. Social Security’s “Blue Book” lists impairments that will automatically be considered disabling for those who meet all of the requirements in the listing. Listings can be “equaled” if you have an impairment that is very similar to, but not exactly the same as, a listing in the Blue Book.
  • Medical-vocational allowances. Social Security will look at your limitations, age, education level and work history in deciding whether you can do other work. If not, you can be approved through a “medical-vocational allowance.”

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