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Types of Benefits
There are different types of Social Security Benefits that can provide financial assistance to disabled individuals:
- Disability Insurance Benefits
- Supplemental Security Income Benefits
- Disabled Adult and Child Benefits
- Disabled Widow/Widowers Insurance Benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) defines disability as:
The inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.
How the Social Security Administration evaluates a claim for Disability Benefits.
Initially, you must be found to be fully insured for Social Security Disability purposes. You must have worked and paid into Social Security for 10 years or 40 quarters and you must have current insured status, i.e. paid into Social Security 5 out of the last 10 years or have 20 quarters paid in out of the last 40 quarters. The eligibility rules are different for individuals under 31 years of age. The Social Security Administration is supposed to obtain your medical records and consider your condition or conditions, together with your age, education and work experience.
Social Security will decide whether you have a severe impairment or combination of impairments that are severe that have kept you from working for at least 12 months.
If you have a severe impairment, SSA next decides if you can perform your past work. If SSA decides you can no longer perform your past work, the question then becomes whether you can do any other work considering your impairment, age, education and work experience. If not, then you are entitled to disability benefits.
Commonly Asked Questions
How do I apply for Social Security Benefits?
Go to your local SSA office and file a claim or call 1-800-772-1213 and arrange for a telephone interview. You may also be able to create your application online at www.ssa.gov.
When should I apply for benefits?
If you have a serious illness or injury and can expect to be out of work for at least a year, you should file a claim as soon as possible.
Can I collect Social Security benefits while receiving Workers' Compensation Benefits?
Yes. However, your Social Security Benefits maybe offset or reduced, depending upon the amount you receive from Workers' Compensation.
If I am entitled to Social Security Disability Benefits, can I get Medicare benefits?
If you are approved for Social Security benefits, you will be entitled to Medicare benefits 24 months after you become entitled to Social Security Benefits.
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Kimberly A. Slimbaugh