Key facts to Know about Social Security Disability Benefits

Key facts to Know about Social Security Disability Benefits

Here are some facts about disability benefits that are difficult to understand. Attorneys employ reliable medical review services to determine eligibility.

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Social security disability benefits and social security retirement benefits are major support programs for millions of disabled and retired Americans. Disability benefits are paid only after a stringent review of the applicant’s medical records, which helps establish the disability. Since medical evidence is very important to prove the disability, attorneys utilize dedicated medical review services to extract the required medical facts from their clients’ medical records. Complex medical terms, legal jargon, and federal regulations make the disability system difficult to understand. However, applicants need to have some clarity regarding the social security disability program so that they can benefit from the same.

According to the SSA (Social Security Administration), more than a quarter of today’s twenty-year-olds will become disabled before reaching their full retirement age of 67. A long-term injury or illness doesn’t automatically qualify you for a disability benefit; you have to earn it through your work history. Typically, you may have earned 40 lifetime credits before becoming disabled and this would qualify you for a social security benefit based on your earnings history. Not everyone may have the opportunity to achieve this, and therefore the SSA uses a particular scale that allows younger adults to qualify for benefits even though they have earned less than 40 work credits.

•

Before age 24 - You may qualify if you have 6 credits earned in the 3-year period ending when your disability starts.

•

Age 24 to 31 –People in this age group may qualify if they have credits for working half the time between age 21 and the time they become disabled. A person becoming disabled at age 27, would need credits for 3 years of work (12 credits) out of the past 6 years (between ages 21 and 27).

•

Age 31 or older: Born after 1929 and became disabled at

Number of credits required

age 31, through 42

20

43

21

44

22

45

23

46

24

47

25

48

26

49

27

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50

28

51

29

52

30

52

31

54

32

55

33

56

34

57

35

58

36

59

37

60

38

61

39

62 or older

40

(Source:https://www.ssa.gov/planners/credits.html)

Here are some important disability facts to understand:

➢ There is no waiting time involved: Applicants can apply for disability benefits as soon as they become sick or injured provided their disability is expected to keep them out of productive work for a year or more. There is no waiting period involved. ➢ Monthly benefits based on how long you worked: Your monthly benefits are based on how long you worked and paid taxes into the social security system.

Payments may range from several hundred dollars to more than $2,600. ➢ You automatically qualify for Medicare: Applicants approved for social security disability insurance benefits automatically qualify for Medicare coverage as well.

You have to wait 24 months before this health coverage kicks in. ➢ Disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits: Disability benefits will automatically convert to retirement benefits if your medical condition improves or you go back to work. Once an applicant reaches full retirement age,

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his/her disability benefits switch to retirement benefits. They don’t have to do anything to continue receiving a monthly check. ➢ Your claim may be denied: There is a likelihood that your disability claim may be denied because statistics shows that only 1 in 3 people are awarded disability benefits by the SSA at the beginning of the process. Once denied, you will have to appeal or challenge the SSA’s decision to move forward with the claim. The important thing is to file an appeal within 60 days of receiving your denial letter. ➢ Taxation rules are the same for all social security benefits: Taxation rules are the same for all Social Security programs including retirement, survivor and disability benefits. You have to pay federal income taxes on your social security benefits only if you have other substantial income in addition to your benefits such as self-employment, wages, interest, dividends and other taxable income that has to be reported on your tax return.

➢ Your SSDI eligibility may continue outside the United States: Since the United States maintains a social security agreement with more than 50 countries, SSDI is regulated more leniently than other benefit programs.

o

Your social security disability payments will continue without restriction (as long as you remain eligible) if you are at present receiving SSDI payments and become a citizen (dual or otherwise) of countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel and Italy. The complete list of such countries is available here (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf). However, if you change your citizenship to a country that is not on the U.S. Social Security Agreement list, you will typically lose your SSDI eligibility. The SSA will terminate your payments after the 6th calendar month you are abroad.

o

You may lose your SSDI eligibility in certain countries during extended stays or due to a change in citizenship if you are a recipient of the disability benefits as a survivor or dependent. In most cases, you will have to live in the United States for at least 5 years and have been in the same relationship with the main beneficiary throughout that time. The complete listing

of

these

countries

can

be

accessed

here

(https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf).

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o

Even if you no longer have a U.S. citizenship, you may be eligible for your monthly benefits in the following cases.

▪

You are actively serving in the U.S. Military or Navy

▪

The main beneficiary for whom you are receiving the benefits as a survivor died in the service of the U.S. military or as a result of service-related disability

▪

You were eligible for monthly disability benefits in December 1956

▪

The main beneficiary for whom you are receiving benefits as a survivor had railroad labor classified as covered employment by the SSA

o

There are some countries to which the SSA cannot send SSDI payments even if you are a U.S. citizen residing there. The countries are Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. However, you can still receive benefits by reporting in-person once every month at the U.S. embassy in these countries.

Applying for social security disability benefits is easier with the support of a disability attorney. Attorneys utilize expert medical review solutions to determine your eligibility for the benefits so that there is more of a chance to get approval. Apart from that, they can give you a clear idea of how your benefits may be affected in certain circumstances.

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