Some Thoughts on Social Security Disability Benefits in US

Almost everyone in the United States knows that Social Security does not only involve bestowing monthly payments to retired people in the country.

Besides providing retirement income, the Social Security program is primarily geared to act as insurance for citizens of the country who are facing financial troubles. The following are several of the qualified situations, but are not limited, concerning the provision of Social Security benefits:

• insurance for working people who have reached retirement age
• insurance for surviving children or spouse of someone who had passed on
• insurance for people who have acquired disability
• benefits for veterans
• insurance for people who encountered unemployment
• welfare for impoverished people like food stamps and other basic needs

The Social Security maintains a trust fund and the money therein is invested, for the meantime, in bonds, the government utilizes to help in financing projects like public works all over the country.

The most familiar types of Social Security benefits are distributed by the following percentages:

• Beneficiaries for retirement program - 69%
• Beneficiaries for Social Security Disability program - 17%
• Beneficiaries for survivors - 14%

How to qualify for Disability benefits of the Social Security?

The Social Security Disability program provides benefits for people who became disabled that caused the limitation or prevention of his/her ability to perform what the Social Security terms as "substantial gainful activity." Simply put, the disability becomes the primary reason for the person's inability or limitation to work and earn income.

In order to qualify and receive the disability benefits, a person must prove that he or she is "fully insured." This generally means that he or she must have worked for long enough and has deposited enough money to the Social Security system.

Unlike the number of years worked in terms of the computation for retirement benefits, the social security disability benefits measures eligibility based on the age of the claimant.

Gainful activity must have been impeded by a mental or physical health problem for a continued period of 12 months in order to become covered or eligible for disability insurance. Those with substance abuse problems like alcohol and drug abuse will not be covered for such benefits.

All of those, whose claims for disability benefits are approved either by the Social Security Administration or by an Administrative Law Judge, will receive regular payments generally like the retirement benefits. The first benefit payment is set at the time the person's disability has gone on 5 months already. This is considered the "five-month waiting period".

A person may receive significantly lesser amount of benefits when he or she was still relatively young at the time the disability started.

Similar to the retirement benefits, other family members, beside the disabled claimant can also receive the disability benefits. The criteria are also similar to determining other family member beneficiaries for retirement insurance as provided below:

• Spouse who is already over 62 years old
• Spouse who is of any age and caring for children or a child under 16 years old
• Spouse who is of any age and caring for a child with disability before the 22 years old
• Divorced spouse over 62 years old. Your marriage with him or her should have lasted at least 10 years.
• Unmarried children under 18 years old or still studying in high school
• Children or child who acquired disability before they reached 22 years old

However, in disability benefits qualifications - divorced spouses cannot become eligible for disability benefits once their former spouse acquires a disability.

by CCB