Social Security Disability Benefits

When an individual is injured or sick and can no longer complete their required job duties, they may seek out Social Security disability benefits. Receiving these Social Security disability benefits are a process that begins when one fills out the Social Security disability application.

• The Social Security disability benefits that may be available to a person is financial and medical benefits. An individual who finds themselves disabled may be eligible to receive 50% to 75% of their previous salary. Another Social Security disability benefit is the possibility of health insurance. If an individual is disabled for two years or more, Social Security disability benefits will automatically include access to Medicare.

• The Social Security disability application can be found on the Internet or in person at a Social Security office. When applying for Social Security disability benefits, it is necessary to fill out this Social Security disability application and have an interview with a Social Security representative. This interview can take place on the telephone or in person, depending on the individual’s circumstances.

• Although the Social Security disability application will be finished at this interview, an individual can fill out a large portion of it on the Internet. When applying for Social Security disability benefits online, an individual should begin by visiting the official Social Security website to electronically fill out the Social Security disability application.

• The Social Security disability application has three sections. The first section is a general information section that supplies the answers for commonly asked questions about Social Security disability benefits. This is called the disability starter kit. This part of the Social Security disability application does not need to be filled out, only read.

• The second part of the Social Security disability application is the basic application that inquires about an individual’s work circumstances, disability, family, and possible previous worker’s compensating issues. This form is standard and these same questions will also be asked on the interview one must participate in to receive Social Security disability benefits.

• The third part of the Social Security disability application is called the adult disability report. An individual must give consent for the Social Security Administration to speak with the individual’s doctor before they can receive Social Security disability benefits. Without this consent, an individual will not be able to get any type of Social Security disability benefits.

An individual’s ability to receive Social Security disability benefits depend on the amount of earned income they have, or the amount of Social Security tax that they have paid in their lifetime. Social Security disability benefits are not granted because of financial need, like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is nor does it have anything to do with the severity of the disability.

Social Security

The purposes of Social Security disability and SSI disability are to help disabled individuals and their families receive a financial stipend to help support themselves. Social Security disability is given to individuals who meet the medical criteria for being officially disabled in the eyes of the Social Security disability organization, known as the Social Security Income Program. SSI disabilities pays benefits to people who are injured and have low incomes, as well as individuals who may have suffered a disability before the age of 22.

• When an individual applies for Social Security disability, they must make sure that they fit certain criteria required. The biggest criteria to meet is the disability itself. To receive SSI disabilities, an individual’s disability is determined on an individual’s inability to work and their lack of income. There are three characteristics of the disability rule whether determining whether or not an individual’s disability qualifies as a Social Security disability. The first rule is that an individual must be physically unable to do the same work that they did before the injury. The second rule for trying to receive Social Security disability is that the Social Security Income Program must determine that the individual cannot perform in a different line of work because of their medical condition. The third rule for receiving SSI disability benefits are that one must have a disability that will last at least a year or result in death.

• Social Security disability dates back to 1954, when both the Senate and the House voted in favor of the proposal and then President Eisenhower made the final decision to add sign Social Security disability into the Social Security’s package of protection. This was added because of both the disability freeze and Social Security disability becoming necessary as worker’s began losing income because of their disabilities. SSI disabilities now individual financial benefits for those with a qualifying disability.

• Another social security disability change came as an updated definition of disability. The Social Security Amendments of 1965 threw away the requirement that the disability be indefinite for an individual to qualify for SSI disabilities. The new requirement was a time period of 12 months. With these changes and the rising public knowledge of the new social security disability program, the number of people grew immensely. The number of applicants who apply for Social Security disability is about 650,000 each year. Currently, SSI benefits offer rehabilitation programs for individuals receiving social security disability in the hopes of getting them back into the workforce.

Social Security disability has come a long way since the original social security program that only helped the elderly. Statistically, the social security disability insurance program gives replacement income to over 2.5 million disabled workers and their families. On top of that number, an additional 2.3 million disabled low income individuals receive benefits due to the SSI disabilities program.