Hank, in Long Beach California, asks “My mother just passed away and I received an inheritance. Will this affect my Social Security Disability benefits?”
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are not impacted by assets, inheritance, or other unearned income. Your SSDI benefits are based upon your work history and the amount of taxes you paid into Social Security. Only income that is earned from working, can affect your SSDI benefits once your Trial Work Period time has been met.
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Lucille, from Imperial Beach California, asks “I am divorced and never re-married. I have never worked. Can I apply for Social Security Disability benefits under my ex-husband’s work record?”
If you are divorced and never remarried, you might qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits on your ex-spouses record.
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Brian, in San Marcos California, asks “After collecting Social Security Disability for 8 years, I finished the 9 months of my Trial Work Period and returned to work, but after working for about a year, my disability got worse and caused me to stop working again. Do I need to re-file for disability?”
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a “Trial Work Period” to encourage individuals who are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to try and return to work.
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Mike, in Carlsbad, California asks “My disabilities have worsened and I have other health problems. Can my monthly disability benefit amount be increased?“
If you are approved for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and your condition worsens, you will not see any change in your benefits.
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Medicare is a health insurance program for people 65 years of age and older and for some disabled people under 65 years of age. Medicare is funded by the United States government. If you are approved for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits then you are also eligible for Medicare after a 24-month qualifying period.
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Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
Substantial Gainful Activity (or SGA) is a term used by the Social Security Administration and Disability Determination Services (DDS) to refer to a person’s ability to work and earn enough income that would prevent them from qualifying for disability benefits.
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Tanya in Del Mar, California asks “If I am found eligible for Social Security Disability benefits in San Diego, how much can I expect to receive each month?”
For Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, the amount you receive will be based on your work history (how many years you have been working) and how much money you earned (and how much money you paid in required Social Security payroll deductions). The more you earned, the more you paid into Social Security, so the larger your disability benefit will be.
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The Ticket to Work Program is a work incentive that is for eligible people who are between the ages of 18 and 65 and who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for a disability. The purpose of Ticket to Work is to make available training, job referrals, and other support and services to help you obtain employment.
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Nancy, in San Marcos, California, asks “Is there a waiting period before I am eligible for SSI disability benefits?”
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) has no waiting period. As soon as you become disabled, you should apply for disability. As soon as your claim for SSI is approved, you can start getting benefits.
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Once you are receiving Social Security disability benefits, periodically the Social Security Administration (SSA) will review your case to make sure that you are still disabled. This review is called a Continuing Disability Review (CDR). The SSA performs two types of reviews, a medical continuing disability review and a work continuing disability review. Under a work review, the SSA looks at your earnings to determine if you are eligible for monthly benefits. A medical review is done by a DDS examiner and he/she determines if you are still meeting the medical requirements to collect disability. If you do not meet the medical requirements, SSA may stop the disability benefits.
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If you are collecting Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you need to be aware of rules regarding overpayments. An overpayment is when you receive more money for a month than the amount you should have been paid. The amount of your overpayment is the difference between the amount you received and the amount due.
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When you are awarded Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you may be able to receive “back pay” for the past months leading up to the day you were awarded disability benefits. There is a maximum number of 12 months prior to the date of your application for which you can collect back pay (assuming the date of onset of your disability occurred 12 months or more before you applied for disability), and there is a 5 month waiting period for SSDI that needs to be considered when determining back pay. The 5 month waiting period means that you can not collect SSDI benefits until you have been disabled for 5 complete months.
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Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can be taken or seized for child support.
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When you apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) there is a 5 month waiting period that needs to be considered. The 5 month waiting period means that you can not collect SSDI benefits until you have been disabled for 5 complete months. It’s a little bit of a mystery why the Social Security Administration (SSA) requires this 5 month waiting period. Many people believe that it is just a way for the Social Security Administration to save money. It might be a way to make sure that only people with long term disabilities will apply for SSDI.
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It is very common for someone who is receiving Worker Compensation to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In most cases, if you are receiving money from workers compensation, then those payments will offset your SSDI or SSI payments. In general, the offset is usually dollar for dollar.
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