How do Social Security disability payments work?

Social Security Disability provides assistance to people who are unable to work because of medical conditions.

Social Security Disability is designed to help people who can no longer work due to some physical or mental disability. These disabilities are also known as impairments and the Social Security Administration has a list of such impairments that qualify for disability claims.

How do SSD payments work?

The Social Security Trust Fund is funded by taxes paid by workers and self-employed people. These funds are used for insurance payments to people who are retired, survivors or disabled, or to children of retired or disabled people. In order to qualify for benefits you must be unable to work for at least the next 12 months, and you must not earn more than an average of $980 a month (2009). For those who are blind, they must not have earnings averaging more than $1640 per month (2009).

Once you qualify, payments will begin once you have been unable to work for five months. The benefits continue until your health enables you to start working again. You can use the Social Security Administration web site’s online calculator (http://www.ssa.gov/planners/benefitcalculators.htm) to estimate how much you would get in disability payments.

Social Security benefits for disabled children

The benefits for children who have become disabled before age 22 can be calculated based on the earnings of their parents. If they become disabled after 22, then they need to take a test that determines their benefits based on the number of years they have worked.

You are able to receive SSD payments for as long as you are unable to work. If you reach full retirement age on disability, your payments then become regular Social Security retirement benefits and you no longer have to prove disability to receive them.

Related posts

1. Who Gets Social Security Disability Benefits?
2. Can I Collect Social Security While On Short Term Disability?
3. What Is Considered A Disability For Social Security?
4. Does Social Security cover retirees only?
5. Why Is There A 5 Month Wait Time for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Send this page to a friend ...

Enter friend's email address
.