Articles

Substantial Gainful Activity is work performed or intended for profit, SGA describes a level of work activity and earnings. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses substantial gainful activity as the minimum monthly wage requirement to determine who is eligible for disability benefits. The SSA sets a higher threshold for people who are statutorily blind and annually increases the dollar amount to account for inflation (or rising prices).

The survivor disability benefits eligibility criteria consider one’s relationship to the deceased worker, the number of work credits they had, age requirements, and qualifying disability. Gathering the required paperwork and providing supporting documentation are all part of the application process. 

This benefit program is only available to students who are residents of England or Wales, with similar programs being available in other areas of the UK. Apart from this, you must meet the medical criteria of this program to receive benefits. Students based in the US are not eligible for this program.

If a person is approved for both SSI and SSDI, then they are often also entitled to the back payments for both of these benefits. However, it’s important to note that the back payments under both programs are calculated differently.

Some obvious signs you’ll likely qualify for SSDI are: being unable to work due to a disability, having sufficient work credits, earning less than the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), suffering from a medical condition included in the SSA’s Blue Book, not having an advanced degree, being of advanced age, having lots of supporting documentation, and having assistance from a disability attorney.

Your SSDI payment may get reduced or completely cut off if you start working, have received worker’s compensation benefits, get an offset from a creditor, purchase Medicare Premiums, or apply for early benefits. Whenever there is an unexpected change to your qualifying conditions, such as your disability or income, you can expect to see a change reflected in your SSDI benefits.

The SSDI benefit amount you will receive is based on the amount of Social Security contributions you’ve made from prior wage withholdings. To determine how much you’ll receive in benefits, the Social Security Administration will consider your lifetime average earnings before you became disabled. 

Means-tested benefits are government aid and welfare programs that assess a family’s income compared to the federal poverty line. On the other hand, universal benefits like public schools, Medicare, and social security retirement income don’t consider your income when you apply for them; therefore, they are not means tested.

Although the two Social Security programs—Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—don’t offer caregiver benefits, there are various other programs that do.

The Trial Work Period (TWP) is one of Social Security’s work programs that acts as an incentive for people who feel they might be ready to return to work. And depending on how much money you make from your job, Social Security Disability Insurance recipients may be eligible to test their ability to work for nine months while still receiving their full benefit payments and are still considered disabled. 

If you are getting Social Security retirement or disability benefits and get married, your benefits will not change. Other benefits, like SSI, survivor benefits, divorced spouses, and children’s benefits, could be impacted, though.

The required number of work credits for SSDI depends on the applicant’s age. Generally, applicants need around 40 credits to qualify for benefits, with 20 of those credits being obtained in the last 10 years. However, applicants younger than 24 may be eligible even with just six credits.

The primary legal safeguard that protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This act allows disabled people equal access to opportunities as their non-disabled counterparts.

Contact the Disability Services Office or corresponding department at your educational institution to request disability accommodation on campus. Send the supporting paperwork for your request for accommodations, such as medical documents or assessments.

If you are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, your insurance company will not have to pay as much in Long-Term Disability (LTD) compensation. In other words, the insurance company will adjust their payout according to your SSDI payments. The insurance company may also require you to repay the difference in case you receive back payments.

SSDI benefits may be retroactive. If you meet the requirements, you may receive retroactive SSDI payments for a period that extends back up to 12 months from the date of your application. To ensure you receive all your benefits, applying for retroactive payments when submitting your application is crucial.

Fortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) allows this only for one-time exceptional circumstances. Your earnings will not affect your benefits if you have reached retirement age. However, your income can reduce your benefits if you have not reached full retirement age.

It’s quite common for people to become disabled during their college education. In such cases, individuals are either forced to leave their education or apply for Social Security Disability Insurance

Yes, Medicaid will typically include your Social Security benefits in determining your income eligibility. It includes Social Security retirement benefits, SSDI, and survivor’s benefits. However, Medicaid does not consider Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as part of your income.

If you have received extra money from the Social Security Administration by mistake,  the SSA will be sure to inform you by sending you a notice detailing the overpayment and requesting a reimbursement.