How To Get Social Security Disability

How Do I Enroll In Medicare

Automatic Enrollment Period

A person receiving SSDI for the required time period is automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B . Beneficiaries should receive a Medicare card in the mail a few months before they become eligible. This will notify beneficiaries of their automatic enrollment in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. If you do not receive this card, you should contact the Social Security office as you approach Medicare eligibility. Medicare Part A is usually premium-free for everyone. If you have worked fewer than 40 quarters, the premium is based on the number of quarters worked. For Medicare Part B there is a monthly premium which is usually deducted from your Social Security check. The monthly Part B premium can change annually. A person has the option to turn down Medicare Part B. If you are a beneficiary or your spouse is actively working for an employer that is providing an employer group health plan , you may be able to continue the EGHP coverage if you or your spouses employer has 100 or more employees. In this situation you will be able to delay enrollment in Medicare Part B. If you are going to delay your enrollment in Medicare Part B, you should meet with a Social Security representative or call 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 .

Special Enrollment

For more details and further information, please call SHIIP at 1-855-408-1212 Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

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Social Benefits Offset Rider

If you become disabled, your long-term disability insurance carrier may require you to also apply for Social Security disability insurance at the same time you file a claim for LTDI benefits. Thatâs because your policy has a social benefits offset rider, which lets the insurer reduce your LTDI benefits by the amount you receive in Social Security disability benefits.

However, the upside to the rider is that you may be getting a discount on your LTDI coverage. As a rough example, if you purchase $5,000 per month in coverage, youâll pay the same amount you would for $4,000 in coverage in the expectation that youâll receive $1,000 in SSDI benefits. If you get denied SSDI benefits, you still get the $5,000 coverage, but potentially at a lower premium cost. Talk to your insurer about how the social benefits offset rider can affect your coverage.

Qualifying For Social Security Benefits With Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for women, with over 200,000 women being diagnosed per year.

Although you will be facing some tough challenges, if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, there may be resources available for your family to make things a little easier.

A diagnosis of breast cancer will almost always require surgery and/or radiation. Most breast cancer patients will also require chemotherapy.

Without insurance, the costs of these treatments can be astronomical.

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Can You Work While On Disability In Ga

Generally, SSDI recipients can t start doing whats considered substantial gainful activity and continue to receive disability benefits. Once you have completed the nine-month trial work period, for a period of 36 months, you can still receive SSDI for any month where your earnings fall below the SGA level.

Social Security Disability Basics

• Learn what our survey results showed about your chances of being approved, how long the process takes, whether a lawyer helps, and how much lawyers charge.

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• Question: I was laid off and havent been able to find work since then due to a bad back, diabetes, bursitis of the knee, and carpal tunnel in both wrists. Can I apply for Social Security disability while collecting unemployment benefits?

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How To Qualify For Ssdi Payments

You might not realize that you already have disability insurance if you contributed to the Social Security system through the money your employer took out of your paycheck for years. Social Security Disability Insurance is a federal benefits program that can send you a check every month if you have a severe illness or injury that prevents you from working to support yourself.

You might be able to get disability without private insurance if:

• You worked jobs that paid into the Social Security program and earned enough work credits by doing so. The number of work credits you will need will depend on your age when you became disabled. Younger workers do not need as many work credits as older employees because younger workers have not had as much time to accumulate credits.

• Your illness or injury meets the tests of the Social Security Administration Listing of Impairments, also called the Blue Book. The SSA maintains this listing of impairments with measurable benchmarks to determine the severity of a medical condition.

• You are unable to maintain gainful employment to support yourself. The SSA interprets this statement as meaning that you cannot perform your current or any previous job. Also, you cannot earn a living at any other position that uses your existing education or job skills or that you could get if you obtained additional training or schooling.

• You do not earn more than the earning limit for that year. The SSA income cap for 2020 is $1,260 per month.

What Other Disability Benefits Can I Receive

In addition to Social Security Disability Insurance, the federal government also provides Supplemental Security Income for some disabled individuals. The medical requirements are the same, so if your condition qualifies for SSDI, it also qualifies for SSI. That said, SSDI and SSI have different requirements related to work and income.

With SSDI, you must have accumulated a certain number of work credits to qualify. SSI does not have this requirement. Instead, SSI is reserved for disabled individuals or families with additional financial needs. For individuals, you must earn more no more than $783 per month to qualify. For couples, the amount is $1,175 .

These numbers vary by year, but they also refer to the average amount you can expect to receive. On average, individuals can get up to $783 per month from SSI, while couples can get up to $1,175 per month. These numbers also vary by state, as some states offer additional income to supplement the federal program.

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Health Coverage For People With Disabilities

If you have a disability, you have three options for health coverage through the government.

• Medicaid provides free or low-cost medical benefits to people with disabilities. Learn about eligibility and how to apply.

• Medicare provides medical health insurance to people under 65 with certain disabilities and any age with end-stage renal disease . Learn about eligibility, how to apply and coverage.

• Affordable Care Act Marketplace offers options to people who have a disability, dont qualify for disability benefits, and need health coverage. Learn about the .

Musculoskeletal System And Connective Tissue

The SSA reports that the largest category of diagnoses among disabled workers receiving disability benefits was diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. These disabilities, which represented 32.3 percent of the diagnoses, involve damage to ones nerves, muscles, tendons or ligaments. Examples of this type of disorder include:

• ArthritisAn individual with rheumatoid arthritis, a disorder of the immune system, must experience significant limits on his or her ability to work to qualify for benefits under this medical diagnosis. Rheumatoid arthritis is sometimes referred to as a connective tissue disorder.
• Back pain Abnormal curvature of the spine may affect an individuals ability to walk as well as the function of other body systems. The intensity of back pain and the limitations on an individuals ability to function are considered in a disability diagnosis related to back pain.
• FibromyalgiaFibromyalgia is a complex syndrome in which a person has widespread pain in the joints, tendons, muscles and soft tissues that lasts for more than three months. Claims reviewers will try to assess whether there is adequate evidence to show that the condition limits a persons ability to perform any type of gainful work.
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy RSD describes a range of symptoms that may occur from injury, diseases or surgery. RSD is characterized by intense burning or aching pain typically caused by trauma to a single extremity.

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What You Need For Apply For Ssdi Or Ssi Benefits

You will get a faster decision when you apply for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income with the Social Security Administration if you provide:

• Your Social Security number
• Medical records from your doctors, therapists, hospitals, clinics and caseworkers
• Laboratory and test results
• Names, addresses, phone and fax numbers of your doctors, clinics and hospitals
• Names of all medications you are taking
• Names of your employers and job duties for the last 15 years

If you are applying for a child, you also need school records regarding your child’s disability.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t wait to file your claim for disability payments even if you don’t have all this information.

How Far Back Will My Benefits Go

Your benefits should begin with the month of the date of entitlement in your case. Many people ask why benefits dont begin on the date they were found disabled. Social Security disability benefits never begin on the date one is found disabled because of the waiting period of five full calendar months. Another rule limits payment of back benefits to 12 months before the date of the application. Therefore, your benefits begin either 12 months before the date of application orfive full months after the date you were found to be disabled, whichever is later.

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Contact An Experienced North Carolina Ssd Benefits Lawyer

The SSA maintains a list of impairments that are considered so severe that they automatically qualify one for disability benefits as long as all other requirements are met. These conditions are found in the SSAs Blue Book, which describes the medical evidence that is needed to prove the impairment.

You can also be declared disabled if you have a condition that is considered to be equal in severity to a listed impairment.

Even if you dont have a listed impairment or one considered equal in severity to a listed one, you may still be deemed to be disabled if you can show that your medical condition keeps you from working or doing any other type of work.

Allow Hardison & Cochran to put its skill and experience to work for you in seeking disability benefits. In particular, we can help you to gather the medical evidence you need to show you are disabled.

Contact us today and receive a free and immediate review of your case.

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Disability Requirements For Social Security Disability Benefits

You must also be considered disabled to be eligible for SSDI benefits. The Social Security Administration determines disability by the following requirements:

• You can no longer perform your former job and
• You cannot perform other work due to your medical condition and
• Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year, or result in your death.

The SSA maintains a Medically Approved Listing of Impairments. If your medical condition is on the list, you may automatically qualify for benefits. However, if your disability isn’t on the list, this doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to SSDI benefits.

If you don’t qualify for SSDI benefits, you may be eligible for Supplement Security Income benefits . To be approved, you must be disabled and meet strict asset and income rules.

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Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits

The EI Sickness program provides temporary income replacement benefits to eligible workers for up to 15 weeks. To qualify, your income must be reduced by at least 40%, you must be employed by a qualifying employer, and you must have already earned 600 hours of insurable employment.

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You Or Your Family Members May Be Eligible For Increased Benefits

Our mission is to deliver Social Security services that meet the changing needs of the public.

Its not unusual for a benefit recipients circumstances to change after they apply or became eligible for benefits. If you, or a family member, receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income , certain life changes may affect eligibility for an increase in your federal benefits. For example, if your spouse or ex-spouse dies, you may become eligible for a higher Social Security benefit.

To find out if you, or a family member, might be eligible for a benefit based on another persons work, or a higher benefit based on your own work, see the information about benefits on the Social Security website. You can also use the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool to find out if you could get benefits that Social Security administers. Based on your answers to questions, this tool will list benefits for which you might be eligible and tell you more information about how to qualify and apply.

The questions and answers below are about a few of the life changes that could possibly increase your benefits.

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How Do You Apply For Disability Benefits

There are three ways to apply for Social Security benefits:

• file online atwww.ssa.gov/applyfordisability
• go to your local Social Security office without an appointment.

Before you apply, make sure you have the names and addresses of all doctors and clinics youve visited over the last five years. Applying for benefits involves much more than filling out the disability application. Your first step should be making sure that you have sufficient medical records for Social Security to make a decision on your claim. If youve been seeing a doctor regularly, have a conversation with your doctor about your limitations , and whether the doctor thinks they rule out full-time work for you. If your doctor agrees, its time to apply for disability benefits.

If you havent been seeing a doctor, its time to start. As mentioned above, you need to have medical records that support your claim, including your diagnoses, your limitations, your test results, and your treatment plans. Once youve had several doctors appointments, ask if your doctor thinks your limitations are disabling and about your long-term prospects for work. Only then should you apply for disability.

Next Steps For Apply For Ssdi Or Ssi Benefits

Evidence required by DDS for case documentation

Once you apply for disability benefits with the SSA, the Disability Determination Services , a division of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, will review your case. DDS will review medical information and vocational information, if necessary, that includes:

• A history of all work performed in the last 15 years
• A description of the physical demands and skill requirements for each job
• Educational history

When all required medical and vocational information is received, the disability examiner and staff physician and/or psychologist carefully evaluate each claim, using a sequential evaluation process.

The following people or agencies can help supply the information that is needed to process a claim for disability benefits.

• Treating physicians and psychologists
• School records
• Consultative examinations authorized by the DDS

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How Social Security Disability Insurance Can Be Superior To Long

If you become disabled, we recommend applying for Social Security disability insurance benefits even if youâre already eligible to receive private long-term disability insurance benefits. Since SSDI doesnât cost you anything, you lose nothing by applying except the time it takes you get approved.

Social Security disability insurance also comes with an amazing advantage if you need health care. After 24 months of receiving SSDI benefits, regardless of your age, you become eligible to receive Medicare, the U.S. governmentâs single-payer health care program that is usually only open to retirees. Medicare allows recipients to receive health care at a heavily subsidized and reduced cost or for no cost at all.

If youâre disabled, you can also claim Social Security disability benefits for your children. As long as your child is unmarried, younger than age 18 , or younger than 22 but also disabled, he or she can receive benefits from the Social Security Administration. The Social Security disability benefits that a child can receive are calculated as a percentage of the parentsâ disability benefit, up to a family maximum payment of between 150% and 180% of the parentsâ full benefit amount.

What Happens If You Cannot Satisfy The Listing Criteria

Meeting the criteria of the Listing of Impairments to prove PTSD can be difficult but failing to do so does not mean you cannot get Social Security approved for PTSD. The evaluation process used by Social Security lets it review your application for benefits to determine if your PTSD is severe enough to prevent you from performing work that you did before the onset of the disability. It also looks at your age, education, work history, and other factors to determine if your impairment permits you to engage in other types of work.

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What Is The Listing Of Impairments

A disabling condition is termed an impairment and it refers to any medical condition, whether physical or psychological. Impairments include injuries or chronic illnesses and are categorized by a listing number the shorthand at the disability office is listings.If an impairment meets a listing, quick approval follows.Most impairments, however, do not meet a listing and require assessment based and the ability to engage in SGA. Common medical problems, such as back pain and depression, usually result in longer wait times.Conditions that are less cut-and-dry, such as Fibromyalgia, or impairments that range in recovery time, like cerebral vascular accidents , will usually take longer to adjudicate.