65 million Americans receive Social Security, and about eight million receive disability benefits.
The government’s program to provide financial assistance to the disabled has been available since 1956 as a way to care for the most vulnerable in our society.
You may be wondering, “what is SSD benefits” and how the program can help you.
We’ll take a look at it and how you can claim your benefits.
What Is SSD Benefits?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) actually provides two disability programs, and it’s important to understand the difference between the two.
Both programs provide financial payouts to the disabled, but one is restricted to low-income people.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides cash assistance to disabled people who have worked and paid into the Social Security program.
To qualify, you have to meet two requirements.
- Work history. You have to have worked long enough to earn what SSA calls “work credits”. That’s because the amount of money you receive under SSDI is the same amount you would receive when you retire. You have to have contributed long enough to be able to take money out if you become disabled.
- Evidence of disability. You also have to provide documentation of a disability. SSA defines that as an illness or injury that prevents you from working for at least a year or that will result in death.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) also provides financial assistance to the disabled but only to people to meet the income requirement.
You must earn less than the monthly SSI benefit which is $783 for an individual.
That $783 limit is referred to as your “countable income”.
There are a number of exceptions to the wage limits that won’t count against your income limit.
For example, academic scholarships or loans aren’t counted against your income.
You can review the Adult Disability Checklist to see if you qualify for disability benefits or contact Labovick.com for a free case evaluation.
How Do I Apply?
You can apply for disability benefits at a Social Security office near you. Or you can apply online.
For both SSDI and SSI, you will need to provide substantial documentation of your disability. This can include:
- An explanation of your illness or injury
- Names and contact information for all the medical personnel who treat you
- Dates of treatment and the addresses of the office, hospital or clinic where you were treated
- List of all medical tests you have had and when you had them
- List of all your medications and who prescribed them
You will also need to provide income information to show that you either worked enough to qualify for SSDI or that your income is low enough to qualify for SSI.
When Will I Find Out If I Qualify?
It can take several weeks to receive an answer from SSA.
Your application may qualify for expedited processing if your disability falls under what the SSA calls Compassionate Allowances.
These are injuries or illnesses that the SSA classifies as the most serious and that will almost always qualify for disability benefits.
Certain types of cancer are on the list as are diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The Waiting Period
There is a significant waiting period for disability benefits, even if you have a disability listed on the Compassionate Allowances list.
While your application may be approved quickly, you will still have to wait for the payments.
There is a five-month waiting period before SSDI or SSI benefits will be paid.
It’s also important to know that disability benefits are only available for people who are fully disabled.
We hope this has answered your question “what is SSD benefits?”.
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