Adding On The State Supplement
While the federal benefit rate is the same throughout the United States, many states add a state supplemental payment onto the federal benefit. The payment varies from $10 to $400, depending on the state. Even within your own state, the supplementary payment can vary depending on whether you are married or single and what your living arrangement is. For instance, in 2021, California adds an extra $160 to the monthly SSI payment for most people living independently with cooking facilities and $247 to those living independently without cooking facilities.
Some states pay the supplement only to those living in nursing homes. For example, Texas pays a $60 supplement to those living in a nursing home, and pays nothing to others. Similarly, Georgia pays an extra $20 to those living in nursing homes, and nothing to others. Maine pays only $10 extra, both to those living independently and those living in nursing homes.
A few states don’t pay a supplement at all, including Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
For more information, see our article on the state supplementary payment.
Do You Need An Attorney To Handle Your Social Security Disability Claim
If this sounds complicated to you, youre not alone. It is complicated.
What you need most is to ensure that youre getting the maximum amount of benefits for which youre qualified. A good lawyer who specializes in Social Security cases will never misrepresent your condition to make your disability seem more than it is, and they wont misrepresent your financial situation, either. But they will present the facts and present them in a way thats most favorable to your reaching the maximum benefits.
If youre in the early stages of applying for Social Security disability benefits, you might be able to gather enough information to do it on your own. But if your claim is denied or if your medical condition is complicated, its worth getting a lawyer to help. You can find a lawyer who wont require payment until your claim is resolved.
Especially if you have multiple benefit sources combined with Social Security disability benefits, you should seriously consider meeting with a lawyer to make sure everything works together correctly.
We invite you to use the free Enjuris law firm directory to find a lawyer in North Carolina whos experienced and skilled at handling Social Security disability benefits claims.
How Is The Amount Of Social Security Disability Benefits Calculated
The social security disability amounts vary for each individual. Calculating social security disability benefits often requires the Social Security Agency to evaluate your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings in addition to your Primary Insurance Amount . Depending on how high your AIME was, a social security disability benefits amount calculator may calculate a higher amount for you.
The AIME is used to estimate social security disability benefits by adjusting or indexing your earnings to reflect the general wage increases throughout the years you were employed or worked. The AIME is crucial to demonstrate an increase in your benefits and ensure the rise in earnings reflects your benefits. The SSA looks at up to thirty-five years of your work history, then uses the social security disability income calculator to calculate the years with the highest indexed earnings divided by the total months of those years.
For SSDI, the average lifetime earnings before your disability are the only factor for calculating your social security disability benefit amount. Therefore, the severity of your disability is not included in the calculation. Once your AIME is calculated, the SSA then uses that number in a formula that calculates your PIA. The PIA is the key factor in the calculation and acts as the base amount for your social security disability monthly payment.
The SSA uses a PIA formula that calculates the sum of:
Read Also: How To Calculate Reserve Retirement Pay
Why Was My Social Security Disability Benefits Claim Denied
There are many medical and technical reasons a person’s Social Security disability claim may be denied. The most common reasons include:
-
insufficient medical evidence
-
not enough work credits for SSDI
-
too much income for SSI benefits
-
failure to follow treatment
-
failure to cooperate with Social Security agents.
With Dependents Including Children
Find the dependent status in the left column that best describes you. Then look for your disability rating in the top row. Your monthly basic rate is where your dependent status and disability rating meet.
If you have more than one child or your spouse receives Aid and Attendance benefits, be sure to also look at the Added amounts table, and add these to your amount from the Basic rates table.
| Dependent status | 30% disability rating | 40% disability rating | 50% disability rating | 60% disability rating | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dependent status | Veteran with 1 child only | 30% disability rating | 476.35 | 40% disability rating | 681.77 | 50% disability rating | 963.04 | 60% disability rating | 1,216.39 |
| With 1 child and spouse | 30% disability rating | 532.35 | 40% disability rating | 756.77 | 50% disability rating | 1,056.04 | 60% disability rating | 1,328.39 | |
| With 1 child, spouse, and 1 parent | 30% disability rating | 574.35 | 40% disability rating | 812.77 | 50% disability rating | 1,126.04 | 60% disability rating | 1,412.39 | |
| With 1 child, spouse, and 2 parents | 30% disability rating | 616.35 | 40% disability rating | 868.77 | 50% disability rating | 1,196.04 | 60% disability rating | 1,496.39 | |
| With 1 child and 1 parent | 30% disability rating | 518.35 | 40% disability rating | 737.77 | 50% disability rating | 1,033.04 | 60% disability rating | 1,300.39 | |
| With 1 child and 2 parents | 30% disability rating | 560.35 | 40% disability rating | 793.77 | 50% disability rating | 1,103.04 | 60% disability rating | 1,384.39 |
Read Also: Military Retirement Points Calculator
What Is A Cola And How Can It Affect Disability Benefit Pay
The SSA recognizes and accounts for inflation and the increased cost of living everyone in America is subject to. So, the SSA periodically adjusts benefit amounts to account for the increased cost of living. It calls these increases Cost-Of-Living Adjustments, or COLAs. COLAs are usually minor and only increase disability recipients checks by a few dollars. But every little bit counts and it adds up over time.
The last COLA a 0.3-percent increase was put into effect on October 18, 2016. This increased maximum SSI benefits from $733 to $735, and the average SSDI benefit from $1,167 to $1,171. The SSA will announce the next COLA in October 2017.
Can I Qualify For Social Security Disability Benefits If I Have Other Sources Of Benefits
It depends, and it varies depending on whether the Social Security disability benefits are from the SSDI program or the SSI program.
You can receive SSDI benefits while also receiving benefits from other sources, like a pension or workers’ compensation as mentioned above. SSDI benefit payments, however, stop upon the age of retirement, at which point you will start to get your Social Security retirement checks in the same amount as the disability benefits. As such, you will not receive SSDI benefits at the same time you receive Social Security checks.
With regard to SSI benefits, things like pensions are counted as part of your income. To qualify for SSI benefits, your income and assets are restricted. If the pension provides enough income to exceed the maximum income allowed, then you cannot receive benefits from both sources. The same is true for other retirement accounts.
Read Also: How Much Does Disability Pay In Sc
Can I Get Help With My Utilities
The Crisis Intervention Program is a Federally-funded provides assistance to low-income households that are in a heating or cooling related emergency. The goal of the CIP program is to help families stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. By doing so, this reduces the risk of health and safety problems such as illness, fire or eviction.
Energy Assistance is important to all that receive it, but more so if someone in your home is elderly, disabled or a young child under 6 years old. These persons are especially at risk for life threatening illness of death if their home is too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer.
Benefits may vary based upon the amount needed to alleviate the crisis however, benefits cannot exceed $600 and/or the maximum allowed benefit amount established by the county, per State fiscal year.
The maximum allowed benefit amount can be up to $600 per application, per crisis situation. The maximum benefit amount determined by the County Director will also be the maximum allowed benefit amount per application for that county.
An eligible household may receive assistance more than one time during the State Fiscal Year .
For more information go to
Do I Have To Pay Taxes On My Ssdi Back Pay
While some portion of your lump sum back payment might be taxable, the IRS makes a substantial effort not to penalize beneficiaries for receiving a large sum from the SSA all in one year. Because federal tax law allows you to apportion some part of those earnings to previous years, you can minimize the amount of income tax you owe during the year you receive the payment.
Every year that you receive disability benefits, the SSA will send you an SSA-1099 tax form. The first form you receive will clearly outline in Box 3 the portion of your lump sum payment that was accrued in previous years. Your form will list each year, along with the total accrued for that year. Make sure to note that this applies to SSDI lump sum payments only, since SSI backpay will be split into multiple payments.
Don’t Miss: How Long Is The Appeal Process For Social Security Disability
Supplemental Security Income Vs Social Security Disability Income
Supplemental Security Income is the disability program that provides payments to people who have low income, assets, and resources in their name and in their household. To be eligible to apply for SSI, the disability applicant has to show that they are financially eligible for the program before the SSA will determine if they are disabled.
Social Security Disability Insurance is the disability program that provides payments to people who have earned enough work credits and are still insured by those work credits. To be eligible to apply for SSDI, the SSA will review your work history and the income taxes that youve paid in to determine your insured status before determining if you are disabled.
Not everyone is eligible for both SSI and SSDI, but it is possible to be eligible for both. Therefore, you want to determine your eligibility before submitting your application. Filing the wrong disability claim can lead to you getting less money than you could have had if your claim is approved, as the SSI payment amount is a fixed amount, called the Federal Benefit Rate , and the SSDI payment amount is based on your past wages, which can lead to a monthly payment higher than the Federal Benefit Rate.
It is also important to note that how much you may receive monthly is not based on how disabled you are like veterans disability through the VA. Once you are found to be disabled, your payment is based on the FBR, your past earnings and other benefits that you may be receiving.
Unscheduled Permanent Partial Disability Awards
North Carolina law also allows lump-sum awards for other types of partial disability:
- Loss of, or permanent injury to, an important internal or external organ, or any other part of the body not covered by the schedule: up to $20,000.
- Serious disfigurement to the head or face: up to $20,000.
- Serious disfigurement to another part of the body : up to $10,000.
Don’t Miss: Sample 504 Plan For Celiac Disease
Information You Need To Apply
Before applying, be ready to provide information about yourself, your medical condition, and your work. We recommend you print and review the . It will help you gather the information you need to complete the application.
Information About You
- Your date and place of birth and Social Security number.
- The name, Social Security number, and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death .
- Names and dates of birth of children not yet 18 years of age.
- Your bank or other and the account number.
Information About Your Medical Condition
- Name, address, and phone number of someone we can contact who knows about your medical conditions and can help with your application.
- Detailed information about your medical illnesses, injuries, or conditions:
- Names, addresses, phone numbers, patient ID numbers, and dates of treatment for all doctors, hospitals, and clinics.
- Names of medicines you are taking and who prescribed them.
- Names and dates of medical tests you have had and who ordered them.
Information About Your Work:
- Award letters, pay stubs, settlement agreements, or other .
We accept photocopies of W-2 forms, self-employment tax returns, or medical documents, but we must see the original of most other documents, such as your birth certificate.
Do not delay applying for benefits because you do not have all the documents. We will help you get them.
When Kindness Is Income: Support From Loved Ones
For SSI benefits, the SSA can also reduce your monthly benefit amount if someone else is providing for you. For example, if a friend or family member buys your food or pays your rent, the SSA will consider that to be income. The SSA calls this In-Kind Support and Maintenance . If there is ISM, the SSA will total the value of the ISM and reduce your SSI payment by the amount given to you.
Read Also: Nolo’s Guide To Social Security Disability
The Amount Of Back Payments You Receive Can Vary
Generally, your back pay amount is a calculation of your monthly benefit amount and how many months you were entitled to payment before you were approved for benefits. Remember, backpay is not guaranteed. Even though you may have been living on minimal financial resources for months, you might not receive back payments immediately after your claim is approved. You can be approved for disability payments in the future without receiving an award for back pay or retroactive disability benefits. A qualified Social Security disability lawyer can help determine if you are eligible to receive back pay or retroactive disability benefits before applying for SSI or SSDI. An attorney can also provide invaluable help in establishing a favorable onset date so that you are awarded the most back pay possible.
Disability Income Plan Of North Carolina
The Disability Income Plan of North Carolina is a benefit provided at no cost to eligible employees who participate in the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System or the Optional Retirement Program . Benefits are available to eligible employees who become continuously unable to perform the duties of his/her usual occupation due to a mental or physical incapacity while actively employed. DIP-NC consists of short-term and long-term disability benefits.
Don’t Miss: How Much Does Disability Pay In California
Ssdi Disability Benefits Payments
SSDI is reserved for disabled workers with sufficient work credits who paid into the Federal disability program as a portion of their FICA taxes. This contrasts with the SSI program discussed above. SSI is a needs-based program for disabled individuals who do not have sufficient work credits to apply for SSDI.
Monthly SSDI payments differ based on a recipients previous earnings record. But, the COLA adjustment applies evenly to SSDI payments. This just means that any increase applies to your existing monthly payment amount. This change is reflected in the first monthly payment amount of the new year.
The estimated average Social Security disability benefit for a disabled worker receiving Social Security Disability Insurance is $1,259 per month, according to the latest figures from the Social Security Administration . These benefits are based on average lifetime earnings, not on household income or how severe an individuals disability is.
What Is Supplemental Security Income Program
The SSI program makes cash assistance payments to aged, blind, and disabled persons who have limited income and resources. The Federal Government funds SSI from general tax revenues. Many states pay a supplemental benefit to persons in addition to their Federal benefits. Some of these states have made arrangements with us to combine their supplemental payment with our Federal SSI payment into one monthly check to you. Other states manage their own programs and make their payments separately. Title XVI of the Social Security Act authorizes SSI benefits.
It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Information can be found at
Don’t Miss: How Do You Change Your Va Disability Direct Deposit
Getting Help Collecting Workers’ Comp Benefits
If your employer’s insurance company has denied your workers’ comp claim, is holding back benefits, or won’t authorize needed medical treatment, you should probably speak with a workers’ comp lawyer. A North Carolina attorney who’s experienced in this area can evaluate your case, give you advice as to whether it’s worth filing an appeal, and help you get all of the benefits you deserve.
If you’re considering filing a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, our workers’ comp overview covers all the basics you need to knowincluding how to report an injury, file a claim, appeal a denial, and more. Plus, learn how much you might receive in workers’ comp benefits.