Extended Period Of Eligibility
After your trial work period is over, Social Security will decide if you are doing substantial gainful activity. If you are doing SGA, your benefits won’t stop right away, and they won’t be terminated permanently. Immediately after the ninth trial work period month, you will enter a 36-month “extended period of eligibility,” or “EPE,” where you are entitled to special rules. During the 36 consecutive months after your trial work period , your eligibility to receive a monthly SSDI check is determined on a month-to-month basis. If you don’t make above the SGA amount in a particular month, you can still get your SSDI check. If you do make over the SGA amount, you won’t get a check for that month.
Here’s how it works. If your countable gross income is at or below the SGA amount for any month during your EPE, you are eligible for your full SSDI benefit amount for that month. In any month in which your countable gross income exceeds the SGA amount , you are not entitled to benefits for that month. However, there is a one-time exception to this rule known as the “grace period.” You are eligible for benefits for the first month and the following two consecutive months during your EPE in which you work above the SGA amount. After that, your benefits will stop if you continue to earn above the SGA amount.
What Type Of Work History Do I Need To Qualify For Benefits
When you apply for disability, SSA rules require you to provide information on the work that you have done within the past 15 years.
The SSA evaluates your work history to determine what skills you learned, the responsibilities you had, and physical demands of your prior jobs. This evaluation helps the SSA decide whether any of those skills or faculties could transfer to other work.
Substantial Gainful Activity & Disability Benefits
As mentioned above, eligibility for SSI and SSDI is based on your inability to work. This is specifically defined by the SSA as a substantial gainful activity, or SGA. Earning more than a certain amount of money is deemed engaging in a substantial gainful activity, which would make one ineligible for benefits. As of 2020, the substantial gainful activity limit is $1,260 per month for disabled applicants.
If you earn more than that, you may not be eligible for SSDI. There is no limit on unearned income.
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What If I Am Able To Work But Must Stop Again Because Of My Disability
The SSA will cut off your benefits if it finds you are capable of engaging in substantial gainful activity . However, in many cases, a persons disability will, at a later date, make it impossible to continue working.
If this happens to you, the SSA offers expedited reinstatement. This means you will not need to file a new application or wait for the SSA to review your condition to begin receiving benefits.
All you need to do is request the SSA restart your benefits within five years.
Talk To A Social Security Disability Lawyer For Free Today
Many disabled individuals struggle to get the SSDI benefits they deserve. If you are worried about losing benefits or not qualifying, talk to John Foy & Associates. With over 20 years of experience, we know how to help you with your SSDI case.
Contact us today for a FREE, no-risk consultation. We do not charge a fee unless we win your case. Call or contact us online to get started for FREE.
Call or text or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
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Benefits For Disabled Widows Or Widowers
If something happens to a worker, benefits may be payable to their widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse with a disability if the following conditions are met:
- The widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse is between ages 50 and 60.
- The widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse has a medical condition that meets the definition of disability for adults and the disability started before or within seven years of the worker’s death.
Widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses cannot apply online for survivors benefits. However, if they want to apply for these benefits, they should contact Social Security immediately at 1-800-772-1213 to request an appointment
To speed up the application process, complete an Adult Disability Report and have it available at the time of your appointment.
We use the same definition of disability for widows and widowers as we do for workers.
The Trial Work Period
The Trial Work Period is designed to allow SSDI recipients to experiment with working while still receiving their full monthly benefit. It consists of a total of nine months, not necessarily consecutive, over a 60-month period. During these nine months, a person may earn an unlimited amount without lowering their monthly cash benefit. The TWP was developed many years ago to encourage disability recipients to go back to work when they can.
A month counts as a TWP month whenever an individual earns more than $910 per month or when a self-employed individual works 80 hours or more in a month.
All of your monthly earnings before taxes apply to the $910 TWP threshold, but you can deduct impairment-related work expenses that you pay for out-of-pocket . Keep receipts of your impairment-related expenses so that Social Security can total your earnings accurately.
In addition, it is essential to inform your local Social Security office of your earnings for each month you work while receiving benefits. Send a certified letter with a copy of your pay stubs and any impairment-related work expenses by the 10th of the month after a month in which you work. Failure to do so may result in your benefits’ being terminated.
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Ssdi & Ssi Benefits Are For People Who Cannot Earn A Living
- If you can work and earn enough money to make a living for yourself, you might not be eligible for SSDI or SSI benefits.
- SSDI benefits are for people who have medical/mental conditions that prevent them from working. These benefits are available to people who have worked long enough and recently enough to qualify.
- SSI is for disabled people based on financial need. Recipients cannot earn more than a certain amount of money nor possess more than a certain amount of property to qualify.
- You can work while receiving Social Security retirement orsurvivors benefits, however.
Employment: Social Security Disability Work Incentives At A Glance
SSDI WORK INCENTIVES
Trial Work Period – The trial work period allows you to test your ability to work for at least nine months. During your trial work period, you will receive your full Social Security benefits regardless of how much you are earning as long as you report your work activity and you continue to have a disabling impairment. In 2021, a trial work month is any month in which your total earnings are $940 or more, or, if you are self employed, you earn more than $940 or spend more than 80 hours in your own business. The trial work period continues until you have worked nine months within a 60-month period.
Extended Period of Eligibility – After your trial work period, you have 36 months during which you can work and still receive benefits for any month your earnings are not substantial. In 2021, earnings of $1,310 or more are considered substantial. No new application or disability decision is needed for you to receive a Social Security disability benefit during this period.
Expedited Reinstatement – After your benefits stop because your earnings are substantial, you have five years during which you may ask Social Security to start your benefits immediately if you find yourself unable to continue working because of your condition. ou will not have to file a new disability application, and you will not have to wait for your benefits to start while your medical condition is being reviewed to make sure you are still disabled.
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How Many Hours Can You Work And Receive Social Security Disability Benefits
When it comes to receiving social security disability benefits, several factors come into play. These factors are why the Social Security Administration rejects about two-third of the applications they receive. A social security attorney in Milwaukee can help if you apply and get denied.
Ordinarily, Wisconsin law grants benefits to those who are disabled. But when a disabled person is fit to carry out their job duties, the question becomes how long they can work and still be eligible to receive social security disability benefits. Read on to get the answer.
Rules Regarding Working While On Short Term Disability
Short-term disability insurance provides compensation to employees unable to work because of an illness or injury expected to last at least seven days. Unlike Social Security Disability Insurance, this isn’t a federal benefit. In the majority of states, employers aren’t required to offer it, but employers often purchase it privately and offer it as an employee benefit to attract workers. Employees also can purchase their own individual policies through insurance companies. Rules regarding your ability to work while receiving short-term disability benefits vary based on the policy guidelines and state regulations.
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Social Security Work Incentives
The SSA offers incentives to help people on SSDI or SSI get back to work, without jeopardizing their current benefits. These incentives include:
- Anine-month trial work period where you can still receive full Social Security benefits, regardless of how much money youre earning, as long as your reporting your work to the SSA.
- Anextended 36-month eligibility period where you can receive Social Security benefits for any month that you earn less than $1,260 .
- Expedited reinstatement, which includes a five-year period where you can request for the SSA to restart your benefits if your disability prevents you from continuing to work, without having to go through the entire application process again.
- Anextension of Medicare coverage for at least 96 months after your 9-month trial work period, if your Social Security Disability benefits have ended due to your earnings, but you are still disabled.
For more information, call. Our attorneys serve disabled clients inYork,Lancaster,Hanover,Harrisburg,Carlisle, and the surrounding communities in Pennsylvania.
How Many Hours Can You Work While On Social Security Retirement
In general, if you work more than 45 hours a month in self- employment, youre not retired if you work less than 15 hours a month, youre retired. If you work between 15 and 45 hours a month, you wont be considered retired if its in a job that requires a lot of skill, or youre managing a sizable business.
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In Many Cases The Answer Is Yes
, and originally published on May 16, 2016.
Social Security isn’t just for retirees it’s also designed to help people with disabilities stay afloat financially. As of 2017, nearly 9 million Americans received Social Security disability benefits. But as useful as those benefits might be, they’re often not enough to help recipients cover their living costs in full. If you’re receiving Social Security disability benefits, there’s good news in this regard: You can work and continue to collect your monthly Social Security payments as long as you meet certain criteria.
To be considered eligible for Social Security disability benefits, you cannot engage in what’s known as substantial gainful activity . The Social Security Administration defines “substantial” as earning more than a certain amount each month. For 2018, you can work and collect your disability benefits as long as your earnings don’t exceed $1,180 per month, or $1,970 if you’re blind . However, there are also exceptions to this rule.
Need Help Understanding Your Benefits The Wolf Pack Has Your Back
Can you work part time on Social Security Disability? Does my part-time job exceed the SGA limit? How do I start my trial work period? From the start of the application process for disability benefits to long after youve been approved, there are many difficult questions you may have.
If you need help applying or appealing for SSDI or SSI benefits, The Wolf Pack at Colbert Cooper Hill Attorneys has your back! Serving disabled individuals and their families in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Ardmore, and surrounding communities, our experienced disability attorneys will do everything in our power to help you get approved for the benefits you deserve. We know the ins and outs of the Social Security system and will answer any questions you may have about your benefits.
Contact The Wolf Pack today at or fill out our online form to get your free case review today!
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Can You Do Any Other Type Of Work
If you cant do the work you did in the past, we look to see if there is other work you could do despite your medical impairment.
We consider your medical conditions, age, education, past work experience, and any transferable skills you may have. If you cant do other work, well decide you are disabled. If you can do other work, well decide that you dont have a qualifying disability and your claim will be denied.
Does Working While Disabled Affect Your Case
We understand that it is necessary to continue working in some form while waiting to decide whether to apply for disability benefits. However, this may pose some problems to your case.
Overall, it is more difficult to prove that your disability inhibits your ability to work if you are still working when you apply.
However, you cannot simply move to a part-time job to prove your disability. In this case, the SSA may also review how many hours you are able to work to receive your income level. If they see you are able to perform 20 hours of work per week, you may not qualify as disabled.
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Working And Ssi Benefits
You can begin to work and continue to receive SSI benefits as long as your wages and other resources do not exceed the SSA’s income limit for SSI however, your monthly benefit amount will be reduced in proportion to your income.
Here’s how the SSA reduces your income. Both the federal benefit amount and the SSI countable income limit are $794 . The SSA will reduce your benefit by the amount of your countable income. Fortunately, not all of your income is countable income.
If your only income is from your job, the SSA does not include the first $85 you earn toward your countable income. After taking the $85 adjustment off of your income, the SSA will deduct, from your monthly benefits, 50 cents for every dollar you earn. For example, an individual who earns $1,000 a month from working has $457.50 of countable income . The individual’s monthly SSI benefit amount would be reduced by $457.50.
Your monthly benefit amount is also affected by the amount your state adds to the federal SSI payment, if any. For more information, see our article on how much SSI pays.
If your SSI payments stop because you earn too much money , but you are subsequently forced to quit work because of your disability, the SSA will reinstate your benefits without the need for a new application for a period of five years.
Learn more about the SSI work incentive programs.
Is Your Condition Found In The List Of Disabling Conditions
For each of the major body systems, we maintain a list of medical conditions that we consider severe enough that it prevents a person from doing substantial gainful activity. If your condition is not on the list, we have to decide if it is as severe as a medical condition that is on the list. If it is, we will find that you are disabled. If it is not, we then go to Step 4.
We have two initiatives designed to expedite our processing of new disability claims:
- Compassionate Allowances: Certain cases that usually qualify for disability can be allowed as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed. Examples include acute leukemia, Lou Gehrigs disease , and pancreatic cancer.
- Quick Disability Determinations: We use sophisticated computer screening to identify cases with a high probability of allowance.
For more information about our disability claims process, visit our Benefits For People With Disabilities website.
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Assistance In A Community Living Bc Residence
For payments issued for the May 2021 benefit month:
- If you are living in a Community Living BC funded residence, you may get up to $1,358.42 per month in disability assistance
- From your $1,358.42, you pay your Community Living BC service provider $716.13 per month for your basic living costs
- This leaves you with up to $642.29 for personal expenses
What Other Requirements Are Beneficiaries Required To Meet
In order to receive Disability Insurance, a worker must have worked during at least one-fourth of his or her adult lifetime and during at least 5 of the 10 years before disability onset. There is also a five-month waiting period before a worker can qualify for benefits.
Supplemental Security provides assistance to people with severe disabilities who have very low incomes and assets and who either lack sufficient work history to be covered for Disability Insurance or receive only a very small Disability Insurance benefit. It is important to note that many Supplemental Security beneficiaries, although lacking the sustained work history necessary to be insured under Disability Insurance, have worked and paid into the Disability Insurance system. And others, particularly women, are not eligible for Disability Insurance because they took time out of the paid labor force to care for children or other family members.
Workers must apply for and exhaust all other available benefits before qualifying for Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security. Accordingly, Social Securitys disability programs serve as a true last resort for people with severe disabilities and little to no ability to work.
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