Social Security And Disability Benefits

Benefits For Your Children

When you qualify for Social Security disability benefits, your children may also qualify to receive benefits on your record. Your eligible child can be your biological child, adopted child, or stepchild. A dependent grandchild may also qualify.

To receive benefits, the child must:

• Be under age 18 or
• Be 18-19 years old and a full-time student or

What Happens If The Dac Gets Married

If the child receives benefits as a DAC, the benefits generally end if they get married. However, some marriages are considered protected.

The rules vary depending on the situation. Contact a Social Security representative at 1-800-772-1213 to find out if the benefits can continue.

1-800-772-1213

To speed up the application process, complete an Adult Disability Report and have it available at the time of your appointment.

Special Rules For People Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision

We consider you to be legally blind under Social Security rules if your vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye. We will also consider you legally blind if your visual field is 20 degrees or less, even with a corrective lens. Many people who meet the legal definition of blindness still have some sight and may be able to read large print and get around without a cane or a guide dog.

If you do not meet the legal definition of blindness, you may still qualify for disability benefits. This may be the case if your vision problems alone or combined with other health problems prevent you from working.

There are several special rules for people who are blind that recognize the severe impact of blindness on a person’s ability to work. For example, the monthly earnings limit for people who are blind is generally higher than the limit that applies to non-blind workers with disabilities.

In 2022, the monthly earnings limit is $2,260.

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Benefits For Children With Disabilities

A child under age 18 may have a disability, 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 they are a full-time student in an elementary or high school or have a qualifying disability.

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 have a qualifying disability.

Social Security Works Aggressively To Prevent Detect And Prosecute Fraud

Social Security, along with the Office of the Inspector General, identifies and aggressively prosecutes those who commit fraud. Our zero tolerance approach has resulted in a fraud incidence rate that is a fraction of one percent.

One of our most effective measures to guard against fraud is the Cooperative Disability Investigations program. Under the program, we investigate suspicious disability claims early, before making a decision to award benefits. In effect, we proactively stop fraud before it happens. In fiscal year 2018, with the help of state and local law enforcement, the program reported nearly $188.5 million in projected savings to the disability programs. This resulted in a return on investment of $17 for each $1 spent.

Eradicating fraud is a team effort. We need people who suspect something to say something. If you suspect fraud, please visit the Office of the Inspector General and select Report Fraud, Waste, or Abuse or call 1-800-269-0271.

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What Do I Need To Know About Advance Designation

You should be aware of another type of representation called .

Advance Designation allows capable adult and emancipated minors who are applying for or receiving Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income, or Special Veterans Benefits the option to choose up to three people in advance who could serve as their representative payee, if the need arises.

In the event that you can no longer manage your benefits, you and your family will have peace of mind knowing that someone you trust may be appointed to manage your benefits for you. If you need a representative payee to assist with the management of your benefits, we will first consider your advance designees. We must still fully evaluate them and determine their suitability at that time.

You can submit and update your advance designation request when you apply for benefits or after you are already receiving benefits. You may do so through your personal account, contacting us by telephone at 1-800-772-1213 , or at .

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 SSI program pays benefits to adults and children who meet our requirements for a qualifying disability and have limited income and resources.

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

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Types Of Disability Policies

There are two types of disability policies.

• Short-term policies may pay for up to two years. Most last for a few months to a year.

• Long-term policies may pay benefits for a few years or until the disability ends.

Employers who offer coverage may provide short-term coverage, long-term coverage, or both.

If you plan to buy your own policy, shop around and ask:

• How is disability defined?

• How long do benefits last?

• How much money will the policy pay?

Social Security Helps People Work Without Losing Benefits

Often, people would like to re-enter the workforce but are afraid they might lose disability benefits if they try to get a job. If you are age 18 through 64 and receive Social Security disability benefits, you can participate in Social Securityâs Ticket to Work program. The Ticket to Work program allows you to receive free employment support services and take advantage of work incentives that make it easier to work and still receive benefits such as health care. In some instances, you can receive cash benefits from Social Security, and you are protected if you have to stop working due to your disability. Learn about our Ticket to Work program or call1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 .

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What Information Is Needed

In order to apply for SSDI or SSI, youll need the following information:

• Date and place of birth
• Names and dates of birth of children who are disabled prior to age 22 or are under 18 and unmarried or attending school ull time
• U.S. military service
• Employer details for the current year and two years prior, excluding self-employment
• Self-employment details for the current year and two years prior
• Direct deposit information
• Information about doctors, healthcare professionals, hospitals, and clinics
• Related medical records from non-medical sources

The checklist provides further details about the type of information you need for the application.

Changes In Living Situation

If you enter or leave an institution such as a nursing home or halfway house, this will affect your eligibility. If you move in with friends or relatives and they pay for your room and board, your SSI payment will be lowered. Finally, if you leave the U.S. for 30 days or more, your SSI benefits will stop.

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Who Is Eligible For Di Benefits

The Social Security test of disability is very strict. To be eligible for disability benefits, the Social Security law says that the applicant must be unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or is expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. Furthermore, the impairment or combination of impairments must be of such severity that the applicant is not only unable to do his or her previous work but cannot, considering his or her age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the national economy ).

A person is considered to be involved in substantial gainful activity if he or she earns more than a certain amount. If a non-blind individual earns more than $1,170 a month in 2017, he or she would not be eligible for disabled worker benefits. The amount is adjusted each year to keep up with average wages. The substantial gainful activity level for blind individuals in 2017 is $1,950 a month.

State agencies, operating under federal guidelines, make the medical and vocational determinations for the Social Security Administration about whether applicants meet the test of disability in the law. Medical records, work history, and the applicants age and education are considered in making the determination.

If You Get Social Security Disability Income And Have Medicare

• Youâre considered covered under the health care law and donât have to pay the penalty that people without coverage must pay.
• You canât enroll in a Marketplace plan to replace or supplement your Medicare coverage.
• One exception: If you enrolled in a Marketplace plan before getting Medicare, you can keep your Marketplace plan as supplemental insurance when you enroll in Medicare. But if you do this, youâll lose any premium tax credits and other savings for your Marketplace plan.

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Iv: What Financing Issues Does Ssdi Face

SSDI costs have leveled off, but the program faces a long-run funding gap. SSDI costs have stabilized as the baby boomers move from their peak disability-prone years to their peak retirement years. But SSDIs costs will still exceed its revenues. Over the next 75 years, its shortfall is projected to be about 6 percent of the programs costs or income.

SSDI has financial challenges but doesnt face bankruptcy. The payroll taxes that workers contribute out of every paycheck fund most of SSDIs costs. In addition, SSDI has built up trust fund reserves, which Social Securitys trustees estimate will last until 2065. At that point, tax revenues will be enough to pay for 92 percent of benefits even if policymakers do nothing to strengthen Social Securitys financing .

Though the SSDI trust fund has enough funding for more than three decades, policymakers must address overall Social Security financing before then.Overall, Social Security can pay full benefits for 16 more years, the trustees annual report shows, but then faces a significant, though manageable, funding shortfall. Policymakers should address Social Securitys long-term shortfall primarily by increasing Social Securitys tax revenues. Social Security will necessarily require an increasing share of our nations resources as the population ages, and polls show a widespread willingness to pay more to strengthen the program.

When Social Security Dependents Benefits May Stop

If you’re receiving dependents benefits based on someone else’s earnings record, additional changes can cause your benefits to stop, such as getting married , turning a certain age, or changing your living arrangements. For example, if your parent receives SSDI and you’re receiving benefits based on their record, your benefits will generally end if you turn 18 or get married.

Note that if you collect SSDI benefits based on your own work history and earnings record, getting married will not affect your benefits .

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Is Your Condition Severe

Your condition must significantly limit your ability to do basic work-related activities, such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or remembering for at least 12 months. If it does not, we will find that you do not have a qualifying disability.

If your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, we go to Step 3.

The Other Parts Of Medicare

• Medicare Advantage Plan people with Medicare Parts A and Part B can choose to receive all of their health care services through plans that are offered by private companies and approved by Medicare. For more information, we recommend you read Medicare’s How do Medicare Advantage Plans work?
• Medicare Part D helps pay for medications doctors prescribe for treatment. For more information on the enrollment periods for Part D, we recommend you read Medicare’s How to get prescription drug coverage page.

If you receive Medicare and have limited resources and income, you may be eligible for Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs.

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How Much Work Do You Need

In addition to meeting our definition of disability, you must have worked long enough and recently enough under Social Security to qualify for disability benefits.

Social Security work credits are based on your total yearly wages or self-employment income. You can earn up to four credits each year.

The amount needed for a work credit changes from year to year. In 2022, for example, you earn one credit for each $1,510 in wages or self-employment income. When you’ve earned $6,040 you’ve earned your four credits for the year.

The number of work credits you need to qualify for disability benefits depends on your age when your disability begins. Generally, you need 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10 years ending with the year your disability begins. However, younger workers may qualify with fewer credits.

For more information on whether you qualify, refer to How You Earn Credits.

Social Security Survivors Benefits

A worker who contributes to the Social Security fund can earn up to four credits per year. Each credit is based on a set dollar amount of earned wages which is calculated by the Social Security Administration each year according to the cost-of-living adjustment assessed according to the rate of inflation in the third quarter of each fiscal year prior to the increase.

While as mentioned a worker needs 40 credits to apply for retirement benefits, survivors may be eligible to submit claim on their family members contributions with fewer depending on the age at which they died. Each persons situation is different, but some survivors can get benefits if the contributor has earned as few as 6 credits, equivalent to 1 and 1/2 years of work, in the three years just before their death. The Social Security Administration advises that you talk to one of their claims representatives about your choices.

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How Have The Number And Share Of People Receiving Disability Benefits Changed Over Time And What Accounts For These Changes

There has been little change over the past two decades in the share of nonelderly adults receiving Supplemental Security due to a disability. In 2011, 2.4 percent of nonelderly adults received Supplemental Security for a disability, compared to 2.1 percent in 1996. This comparison does not, however, take into account demographic and economic changes, particularly the aging of the population and the increase in poverty, which both have increased the number of people who are potentially eligible for Supplemental Security.

Controlling just for income, participation in Supplemental Security by working-age adults who are potentially eligible because of low income has actually declined over the past decade and a half. In 2011 there were 17.6 nonelderly adults receiving Supplemental Security for every 100 nonelderly adults with incomes below 100 percent of the poverty line, compared to 18.5 nonelderly adults in 1996. In other words, the number of nonelderly adults receiving Supplemental Security grew at a slower rate than the number of nonelderly adults with very low incomes.

The share of nonelderly adults receiving Disability Insurance has increased over time. This is largely due to demographic factors, including:

A number of factors account for this one-percentage-point increase in the disability-prevalence rate after accounting for the changes in the age and gender distribution of the workforce, including the following:

What Is Supplemental Security Income

Supplemental Security Income is a federal program that pays monthly benefits to low-income aged, blind and disabled individuals. The Social Security Administration runs the program, which is financed from general tax revenues, not from Social Security taxes. The SSI test of disability for adult applicants is the same as the test in the Social Security disability insurance program. Only people who have low incomes and limited financial assets are eligible for SSI. The federal SSI payment in 2017 for an individual with no other countable income is $735 a month. Payments are reduced as other income rises, and some states supplement the federal payment. Each month on average in 2016, 8.3 million low-income adults received SSI. These beneficiaries included 4.8 million adults under age 65 who were eligible based on disability or blindness and 2.2 million adults aged 65 and older. In addition, 1.3 million children under age 18 receive SSI based on disability or blindness.

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Being Incarcerated Or Institutionalized While On Ssdi

If you’re confined to a prison or other penal institution after being convicted of a crime, your disability benefits will stop for the period of time you’re incarcerated. Your SSDI benefits will be suspended after 30 days of incarceration and will be reinstated the month following your release.

In addition, sometimes a felony conviction will lead to a cessation of benefits even without incarceration. But being convicted of a misdemeanor won’t affect your SSDI benefits unless you’re sent to jail for a month or more. For more information, see our article on disability benefits, felony convictions, and jail.

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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