I am on SS disability after a work accident. Disability is seperate from SS reierment and you benefit is based on the number of years worked and the amount of money you made over your working life. If you get approved for disability you will also be reliable for Medicare insurance after 6 months.
Applying for and getting approved for disability isn’t easy. There are specific injures//illneses that qualify. It is quite q mystery as some people that you would think have no problem getting approved are turned down, while others are approved with what can be considered a minor disability. The approval process is a long one and except for extreme cases (brain injury, paraylisis, etc…) almost everyone is denied during the first review. It took me five years to finally be approved for disability and required me getting an attorney and going before a Federal judge.
Even though I it can take years for an approval to come, you are paid benefits retroactive to the date you first applied. Also, the waiting period for Medicare is counted from the first day of application. When I was finally approved for disability I was immediately covered by Medicare and received a back payment of $65,000 (five years of benefits) and my children received a retroactive payment as well.
The attorney was paid for by SS, so if you are applying for disability I would recommend getting an attorney. Approval will be dependent on proper filing of the paperwork and proper detail of medical reports. Despite what critics say, it is not easy to get approved. The judge that reviewed my case went into much detail concerning my medical I jury and the nature of that injury. To get approved you must show that you can no longer do any substantial work in the field you are qualified for or will not be able to maintain any reasonable employment.
A note on the back payment. Some of you might think that the amount of the back payment awarded to me is excessive. It is Important to understand that this amount was for FIVE years of benefits during which time I was waiting for approval. During that time I was not alble to work and ran through my savings and without the help of family I would have Ben living n the street. Also, to get approved you cannot have much in the way of assets. Meaning, if you have a million dollars in the bank, you are not going to get approved.
I mentioned my children above, minor children whose parent is disabled are entitled to SS benifits as well, the amount based on that parent’s income. The benefit stops when that minor reaches the age of 18.
Living on disability isn’t easy. As mentioned above, our benefits are based on time working and income. The more you paid into the system, the higher your benefit. I was a fairly high income earner, my last year working my annual pay was $83,000. My monthly benefit from SS is $1655 per month, minus $89 to pay for Medicare health insurance. My children receive $800 a month between the two of them, although I don’t be this money for them as I am divorced, so my ex-wife receives the payments to use for their benefit. Their back payment was $26,000 It is important to note that the Ss they recieve is counted as my child support by the courts.
I have tried to be as detailed as possible in my answer. If you have any need for more specifics, feel free to ask. On a personal note I will tell you that living on disability sucks big time. As you can see, no one is getting wealthy being on disability. It is very difficult to make ends meet and quite a contrast to my previous income. Besides the financial difficulties, the mental strain of being on disability is enormous. I feel as if I am useless and am ashamed that I am not able to work despite wanting to. That feeling is tempered by the fact that i paid into the system and this is no difference between SS disability and insurance. I paid into the system and unfortunately needed the service.
I have to return to Easter things now. I apologize for spelling and/or grammatical errors as I am typing this on a mobile device. Happy Easter to all. I will re-read when I have time and add or correct as needed.