Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federally funded program aimed at providing financial assistance to individuals who cannot work due to their disability. However, the duration of a disability can vary from one person to the next.
A disability can be a short-term impairment, or it can be a long-term impairment that impacts a person’s qualify of life for decades. For this reason, many people who are considering applying for disability benefits may wonder if SSDI provides permanent or temporary benefits.
SSDI does not provide short-term benefits. This is because it goes against the fundamental eligibility criteria for the program, which state that the disability must have lasted or be expected to last for 12 months or result in death.
Keep reading below as we discuss the duration of SSDI benefits in more detail.
Do I Qualify for SSDI?
Social Security Disability is a government-funded benefit program that is managed by the Social Security Administration. Benefits are only available to those who apply and meet the requirements. The first requirement is medical documentation verifying the existence of a severe impairment.
So, what kinds of impairments are considered qualifying? To receive SSDI benefits, applicants must meet the criteria for one of more than a hundred medical disorders included in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book.
Even if an application does not fulfill the criteria outlined in the Blue Book—and the majority of applicants do not—it is still possible to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits if it can be demonstrated that the applicant’s condition meets or surpasses the criteria outlined in a listing.
In most cases, this occurs when the cumulative impact of having several disabilities renders a person unable to work.
To be eligible for SSDI benefits, you need to meet more than just the definition of disabled. You are also required to be able to provide evidence that you’ve been out of work for at least a year due to your disability, or you expect to be out of work for at least a year due to your condition, and you have enough work credits to qualify for disability.
Your monthly income should be below that of substantial gainful activity (SGA). If you have a monthly income of less than $1,470 (or $2,670 if you are statutorily blind), then your income is considered to be under SGA. This number is adjusted each year.
To prove that you are disabled and thus eligible for SSDI benefits, you will need to submit medical records (a doctor’s note merely stating your diagnosis will not suffice), details about your employment and earnings, and information from the SSD Function Report, which allows you to detail how your disability has impacted your ability to work.
Distinguishing Between Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
There are two main types of disabilities: those that are temporary and those that are permanent. The prognosis for how long the disability will last is what differentiates these two categories.
Short-Term Disabilities
One definition of a temporary disability is an impairment that lasts for a short period of time. These disorders may leave you unable to work for a few days, weeks, months, or even years, but they normally resolve on their own.
Any illness or injury that leaves you temporarily unable to do things like walk, take a shower without assistance, care for children, or work is a common example of a temporary impairment. Conditions like pneumonia and injured ankles qualify as short-term impairments.
Long-Term/Permanent Disabilities
An injury or illness that leaves you unable to perform basic tasks, including applying for jobs, for the remainder of your life is considered a permanent or long-term disability. These are conditions from which you have no hope of recovery and that can significantly impact your quality of life.
A permanent disability can either be present at birth or acquired via injury. Long-term disabilities from which recovery is possible, such as cancer, are sometimes placed together with permanent impairments.
While it’s possible to make a full recovery (unlike those who are permanently disabled), doing so would take so much time that the same benefit schemes would apply.
The Key Difference
It’s common practice to use a one-year time frame as a “cut-off” between short-term and long-term disabilities.
On the other hand, certain short-term programs, such as workers’ compensation, can continue for more than a year, and programs, such as Social Security Disability, may continue for less than a year if it is anticipated that the patient will pass away as a result of the disability.
Does SSDI Provide Permanent or Temporary Benefits?
SSDI primarily provides permanent or long-term benefits. It’s impossible to get SSDI or SSI benefits on a short-term or temporary basis. The reason for this is straightforward: neither SSDI nor SSI will cover a temporary disability.
The Social Security Administration’s requirements for disability status are as follows:
- You are no longer able to perform your previous work.
- You are unable to find suitable alternative employment due to your medical condition(s).
- Your condition has or is expected to last for a total of 12 months or more or end with your passing.
According to these standards defined by the Social Security Administration, you will not be considered disabled if you have a condition that is either temporary or will not last for at least a year. This is the case even if you are disabled and unable to work.
How Long Will My Social Security Disability Payments Last?
When an individual’s medical condition improves to the point that they are able to return to work, their Social Security disability payments are terminated. How does the Social Security Administration decide that a recipient’s benefits should stop? With the help of a “CDR,” or continuing disability review.
The CDR supplies the Social Security Administration with information that assists them in determining whether or not you continue to meet the requirements necessary to receive disability payments.
Those who are granted Social Security Disability payments are placed into one of three categories according to the severity of their condition and the possibility of recovery. How often you have to undergo a CDR depends on what category you fall into. These groups include:
- Medical Improvement Expected
- Medical Improvement Possible
- Medical Improvement Not Expected
Conclusion
In short, SSDI does not provide temporary benefits. It is a long-term program that requires a disability to last or be expected to last at least one year or result in death. If you would like to know more about your options when it comes to disability benefits, contact a disability attorney today.
