Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is intended to help those who are disabled and unable to go back to work. But it is often not enough to make ends meet. What are some other benefits that you can get along with SSDI?
You can get several other benefits while you continue to receive SSDI, such as SSI, benefits through the COBRA Act, Medicare, private or public insurance, family benefits, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
In this article, we will go through all these benefits and more.
Other Benefits You Can Get With SSDI
Following are some other benefits that you can apply for as you continue to receive SSDI benefits.
Medicare
After 24 months of receiving SSDI payments, you will be placed on Medicare Parts A and B automatically.
In-patient stays at the hospital and visits to medical professionals are both covered under these parts of Medicare. If you happen to be eligible for Medicare health insurance, you will be given more details about the plan a few months prior to when your coverage begins.
You have the option of signing up for both Medicare Part C and Part D. Medicare Parts C and D fund medical treatment and prescription drugs provided by a private entity, approved by Medicare. It is your own responsibility to sign up for Medicare Parts C and D if you choose to benefit from them.
There are costs associated with Medicare coverage, such as co-pays and deductibles. If you live in a state where such programs exist and are on a tight budget, you may not have to worry about covering these expenses at all.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and kidney failure necessitating a transplant or frequent dialysis are examples of conditions that may immediately entitle a person to Medicare coverage.
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
If you lose your job, have your hours cut back, or switch to a different company, you may be able to keep your health insurance coverage through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.
If you get divorced or go through some other major life change, you could potentially take advantage of this perk as well. If you have coverage through a parent or spouse, you may be eligible for these benefits as well.
If you decide to keep your health insurance under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, you may be required to pay as much as 102 percent of the premium yourself.
COBRA insurance is only available for a limited time, usually between 18 and 36 months. COBRA allows you to continue your health insurance for up to 18 months after a job loss or reduction in hours.
Let’s say you became eligible for Medicare fewer than 18 months before you became COBRA-eligible. If that’s the case, COBRA insurance would be available to you for up to 36 months. The 36-month period in question here will begin on the day you first become Medicare-eligible.
People who are disabled may be eligible for an extension of their COBRA coverage beyond the standard 18 months, and may be extended up to a maximum of 29 months.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Benefits for Supplemental Security Income are also managed by the Social Security Administration, but they function in different ways. Your benefits will not be affected by any prior employment. Instead, you will receive up to the maximum benefit allowed by law for the current calendar year.
Your Supplemental Security Income benefits may be lowered if you have “countable income” from other sources, such as Social Security Disability Insurance.
If you’re 65 or older, blind, or qualify as “disabled” under SSDI’s criteria, then you may be entitled to SSI benefits. In contrast to SSDI, there is no minimum number of work credits required to qualify for SSI.
However, in order to be qualified for SSI, you must not have a high income and have few assets (less than $2,000 for individuals and less than $3,000 for couples).
Most states automatically enroll those who receive SSI in Medicaid. This is also another option for obtaining health coverage through the government.
Private Insurance
You can look into applying for disability payments through private insurance. The amount you get from Social Security Disability Insurance will remain the same if you are getting payments from a private source.
Public Insurance
It’s possible that you might be eligible for disability benefits from additional federal, state, or local agencies. Disability benefits for government employees, retirement benefits for state and municipal employees, and temporary disability benefits for state employees are all examples of such systems.
Family Benefits
The approval of your SSDI benefits application could also result in further financial support for your loved ones. The family may be eligible for assistance if their income has decreased as a result of their medical condition.
Children (under the age of 18) of SSDI recipients may be eligible for a financial benefit. Thanks to this aid, they will be able to make ends meet while they finish high school.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid also provides medical coverage for children under 18. The CHIP program has income limits, which will vary from state to state.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is another option for low-income families. Disability Insurance recipients may be eligible for this program if their household income meets specific requirements.
Participants will receive a rewards card with a prepaid amount to use towards the purchase of food and other necessities.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers nutritional assistance to low-income families so that they can afford to buy nutritious and affordable food. Both SSI and SNAP have restrictions on income and assets.
If you qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, you will be issued a debit-style Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Every month, your benefits will be deposited into your account instantly. Your EBT card can be used at participating supermarkets and grocery stores.
Other Benefits
There are other benefits that SSDI recipients can apply to as well. They work largely by maintaining the benefits that SSDI beneficiaries are eligible for. Here are some examples below:
Retirement Benefits
Employment breaks can reduce your Social Security benefits in retirement. Disability-related employment gaps are not counted against SSDI beneficiaries thanks to a “disability freeze” implemented by the Social Security Administration.
When you reach retirement age, your SSDI payments will be changed over to social security retirement, but the amount will typically remain the same.
Long-Term Disability Benefits (LTD)
In preserving access to Long-Term Disability (LTD) Benefits, some private benefit policies or schemes will encourage beneficiaries to apply for all benefit programs for which they may be qualified, including SSDI, in order to protect their LTD benefits.
If this is the situation with your LTD plan, rest assured that your benefits will remain unchanged even if the manner in which they are paid changes.
If you collect $1,500 per month in LTD payouts but only $1,300 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, the private disability program will reimburse you for the remaining $200 per month to bring the total of your monthly benefits back up to $1,500.
If the monthly SSDI benefit is higher than the LTD benefit, then the SSDI benefit will be paid instead of the LTD benefit.
Return to Work Benefits
The Social Security Administration’s “Ticket to Work” program offers employment services to Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries who are considering a potential return to the workforce.
Resources such as career guidance, vocational rehabilitation, and employment assistance are provided to those who sign up. Participants in this program will not lose their Social Security Disability Insurance payments.
Can I Make Extra Money on SSDI?
Individuals receiving SSDI may continue to work and earn money. In 2023, the monthly income cap for those receiving SSDI benefits is set at $1,470 (for the blind, it’s $2,460).
In order to continue receiving SSDI payments, your monthly income must be below this amount; otherwise, the Social Security Administration may deem you as no longer being disabled and thus able to undertake “substantial gainful work.”
However, there are always outliers. The aforementioned earnings cap does not take into account the possibility of a higher income during a trial work term (Ticket to Work) for those receiving SSDI benefits.
Your attorney can help you sort out the legal aspects of taking up extra employment, and your designated Social Security Administration agent can guide you through the Ticket to Work program once you’ve started receiving benefits.
The cost of any specialized tools or other accommodations you need to use while performing substantial gainful activity may also be deducted from the SGA amount. If you’re unable to do your job without assistance, you may have to pay for things like a wheelchair or the services of an attendant.
How to Expedite Your SSDI Claims
Through the Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program, individuals with conditions and other medical problems that automatically qualify under the Listing of Impairments with little objective medical information can have their claims processed sooner.
The CAL program covers more than 200 different medical issues.
The Social Security Administration states that CAL conditions are formulated using feedback from the general public, advocacy group outreach, Social Security and Disability Determination Service community remarks, advice from medical and scientific experts, collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and data gathered from previous public outreach hearings.
When deciding who is eligible for disability benefits, the Social Security Administration considers the conditions that are most likely to qualify. The CAL project is not a distinct service from the Social Security Administration’s other two disability programs (i.e., SSI and SSDI).
Anyone with a CAL condition can apply for disability payments through the Social Security Administration’s regular channels, and their claims will be processed more quickly than usual.
How to Receive Benefits During the Application Process
There are a few ways you can get disability benefits while your application is being processed.
Presumptive Disability (PD)
Payments for “presumed” disabilities are meant to help applicants get by while the Social Security Administration evaluates their application. Payments may continue for up to six months while a claim is being reviewed by Disability Determination Services (DDS).
The Social Security Administration weighs the severity of the applicant’s symptoms against the applicant’s likelihood of being approved when making PD payment decisions. Decisions are made without taking into account any potential financial hardships.
Cases involving the following may qualify as presumptive disabilities:
- Terminal illness with a life expectancy of 6 months or less
- Amputation of legs at the hip
- Complete blindness
- Severe mental deficiencies (in situations in which the claimant cannot apply independently and is at least 7 years old)
- Lou Gehrig’s disease
- End-stage renal disease needing dialysis
- Down syndrome
If an applicant’s disability claim is rejected in a final decision, the applicant will not be required to refund PD payments made by the Social Security Administration. While the SSA regional office makes most PD determinations, DDS might suggest presumptive payments under certain conditions.
Terminal Illness (TERI)
Applications from people with terminal illnesses (TERI) are those in which the applicant’s death is viewed as highly likely. The TERI program will prioritize applications regardless of whether the applicant indicates on the application that they have a terminal disease.
When a physician or secondary source indicates that the claimant’s ailment is likely to end in death, or if the claimant has been receiving inpatient hospice treatment or home hospice care, a SSA agent or claims examiner at the DDS may refer the case to the TERI program.
Furthermore, if an individual has requested disability because of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) or AIDS, the case is entered into the TERI system.
Here are some examples of diagnoses that may be eligible for TERI treatment, although this is by no means an all-inclusive list; any life-threatening condition may be eligible for expedited processing under TERI.
- Metastatic, advanced, recurring, or incurable cancers
- Esophageal, liver, pancreatic, gallbladder, and brain cancers
- A condition requiring the use of a mechanical heart and lungs to sustain life
- Heart or lung failure that is chronic and requires round-the-clock care and oxygen.
- Coma lasting at least 30 days
- Congenitally or genetically defective infants
- Patient in need of an organ transplant (liver, lung, heart, or bone marrow)
As with any other disability case, the DDS disability examiner is required to consult with a medical specialist prior to reaching a TERI conclusion.
Conclusion
In light of this, you should research any additional benefits to which you may be entitled. There are several restrictions on the types of benefits and amounts you can obtain, but there are other benefits that SSDI beneficiaries such as yourself may be eligible to receive.
