As people age, they become more vulnerable to the increased likelihood of developing disabling conditions and illnesses, which can hinder their ability to work and earn a living. Fortunately, there are a few programs provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) intended for such individuals.
The SSA’s Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is intended to help individuals who are unable to work due to their disabling condition(s). Older people with disabilities have a higher likelihood of getting approved for SSDI benefits.
This article discusses in detail how elderly individuals can secure SSDI benefits and explores other benefits available to them.
Can I Qualify for SSDI Based on Age?
It is not possible to qualify for SSDI only on the basis of your age. The SSA also considers your work history, disability status, and work capacity when determining your eligibility for SSDI benefits.
However, as you get older, the Social Security Administration will conduct your case evaluation differently. In general, the Social Security Administration is more accommodating to applicants who are 50 and older, and people of this age group are more likely to meet the medical criteria to get the benefits.
SSA Age Groups
The Social Security Administration divides SSDI benefit claimants into the following age categories:
- Younger Individuals (18-49)
- Closely Approaching Advanced Age (50-54)
- Advanced Age (55-59)
- Approaching Retirement Age (60-67)
SSA’s Five-Step Evaluation Process for SSDI Benefits
The Social Security Administration uses a five-step evaluation procedure to evaluate all applicants for disability benefits. The process goes through the following steps:”
Financial Qualification
To determine your financial eligibility, SSA will determine whether you are engaged in substantial gainful activity. Substantial gainful activity is the maximum income limit that beneficiaries or applicants can earn without jeopardizing their benefits. In 2024, the maximum monthly SGA amount is $1,550 (or $2,590 for blind applicants).
Severe Impairment
To qualify for benefits, an applicant’s disability must be considered severe. An applicant must demonstrate through the use of medical records that their disability, injury, or illness has prevented them from working for a period of at least one year.
Medical Eligibility
The SSA uses the Blue Book to determine medical eligibility. The Social Security Administration will assess your health status according to the relevant listing mentioned in the Blue Book.
Past Work
If your medical conditions do not meet the Blue Book listings, SSA evaluates your residual functioning capacity (RFC) by determining your ability to perform past work-related tasks.
Any Work
If the SSA determines that your medical condition prevents you from performing the duties of your former job, it will determine whether there is any other work that you can do. For this, it will evaluate your work history, education, and other skills. If it determines that your condition prevents you from performing other types of work, you will get your claim approved.
How Age Impacts SSDI Applications
The Social Security Administration acknowledges that a person’s ability to work is influenced by a variety of factors in addition to their physical condition. Apart from education, one significant factor is the applicant’s age.
Older people find it considerably more difficult to learn new skills due to a lack of time and energy. They are also often subject to discrimination in the workplace because of their age.
This is why, when evaluating eligibility for benefits, the SSA is much more lenient with its rules when it comes to older applicants. Older applicants also have a considerably higher chance of being approved for SSDI.
Rules that Apply for SSDI Benefits After Age 50
It is common for older people in the United States to develop certain age-related conditions. Many people with these conditions eventually become disabled by the time they reach the age of 50.
The SSA deems the age of 50 to be an “advanced age” for the purpose of evaluating eligibility for SSDI. This is also the age when an individual’s minor health problems become much more severe.
Fortunately, it is much easier to apply for and obtain SSDI benefits after the age of 50. This is particularly true if the applicant’s health prevents them from working or if they have multiple medical conditions.
The exact SSDI benefit amount that an individual receives after the age of 50 is determined by the number of work credits that they have acquired throughout their time at work.
The Social Security Administration recognizes that older workers may experience challenges in learning new job skills or adjusting to a different work environment and uses a different evaluation process for applicants aged 50 or older.
Applicants who are 50 years of age or older are evaluated under the medical-vocational grid rules. The Social Security Administration will often only use the grid rules once it determines that you are unable to do the jobs that you had been doing in the recent past.
The applicant’s disability evaluation is based on the following rules:
Age of Applicants
The Social Security Administration sorts applicants into four age brackets: those between the ages of 18 and 49; those between the ages of 50 and 54; those aged 55 and up; and those aged 60 and up. The grids make it easier for older people to get accepted for benefits.
Education Level of Applicant
According to the grid rules, if you have a lower level of education, your chances of getting approved for benefits increase. The Social Security Administration classifies applicants according to their education level, including
- high school graduates
- high school graduates with recently completed training for skilled labor
- limited education (11th grade or below) and
- illiterate applicants who have difficulty communicating in English
Past Work
The SSA divides jobs into three categories: skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled. Applications that have less job experience and a history of unskilled employment are much more likely to be approved for disability payments. If an applicant is unskilled and can only perform light work, then the likelihood of them becoming eligible for benefits also increases.
New Skill of Applicant
If an applicant has a history of skilled or semi-skilled labor, the SSA will take into account whether the individual also acquired any new skills that could be used for working in another position.
The Social Security Administration will also consider if your past work experience can be used in new or comparable positions. These skills are referred to as “transferable skills.” It becomes more challenging to succeed in a disability claim when your skill set is highly transferable.
RFC of Applicant
The applicant’s residual functional capacity is their remaining capacity to continue working despite the limitations that are caused by their condition. In an RFC exam, the Social Security Administration evaluates your capacity to do tasks such as walking, standing, and lifting based on reliable medical data.
An RFC is issued for sedentary labor, light work, medium work, and heavy work, respectively. As your RFC increases, it becomes more difficult to gain approval for disability under the grid rules.
The SSA takes into account all the factors that fall under grid rules while making their final decision. The agency usually hires vocational experts regularly to serve as witnesses for the applicant’s employment capacity and the transferability of skills from one job to another.
Benefits of SSDI for Older People
Social Security provides necessary financial assistance to disabled individuals and older people. Some of the benefits of the SSDI program are listed below.
Monthly Financial Payments
The Social Security Disability Insurance program provides applicants and dependents (if qualified) with monthly cash benefits. These payments can be used to purchase basic necessities and cover household bills.
Inflation Adjustment
The SSDI benefit amount is increased every year following an increase in the cost of living that occurs annually. This increase is measured based on the consumer index. This means that applicants’ benefit amounts will be subjected to inflation adjustment and increased as each year passes.
If you are receiving long-term disability benefits, these increases are not offset by your long-term disability benefit, which results in more income in the form of a greater monthly benefit.
Higher Retirement Benefits
For each year that you are unable to work and do not receive disability benefits from Social Security, your earnings record for Social Security will be adjusted to reflect a total of zero earnings. This may result in a significant reduction in the amount of your future Social Security retirement income.
When you receive disability benefits from Social Security, they’ll “freeze” your earnings record, removing any years when you weren’t working from your total benefit for retirement.
Tax Benefits
The vast majority of Social Security beneficiaries do not have to pay taxes on their benefits. However, when considering the tax consequences of receiving Social Security disability benefits, it is advised to get the advice of a knowledgeable accountant or tax professional.
What Other Benefits Can I Get From Social Security?
There is no straightforward answer to this question because your eligibility for other available benefits will depend on several factors, including your income, age, the nature of your medical condition, and the extent of your insurance coverage.
The following is a list of potential sources of supplementary benefits that, depending on the specific circumstances of your case, you might be qualified for.
Supplemental Security Income
To be eligible for SSDI, one must have paid Social Security taxes and earned work credits through their employment. Supplemental Security Income (SSI), on the other hand, is a program that helps those with low incomes, regardless of their employment status or history.
It is possible for some people to receive both SSDI and SSI at the same time, referred to as “concurrent benefits.”
Medicare
After receiving SSDI benefits for 24 months, you automatically become enrolled in the Medicare program.
Medicare is a government-funded insurance program that is designed to provide free-of-cost medical care to older people. In addition to covering coinsurance costs, it also covers things like hospital stays and outpatient treatment. You can also get Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Medicare can be a lifesaver for people with disabilities since it allows them to obtain medical coverage without having to pay for expensive private health insurance, which can be tough to do without an employer subsidizing your premiums.
Medicaid
Medicaid can work as an excellent supplemental insurance program that may be available to some SSDI recipients to help pay for medical expenses that Medicare does not cover. This is especially helpful for people with limited financial resources.
COBRA
A federal law known as the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows you to continue receiving health insurance coverage from your former employer for a predetermined amount of time after you have left your position.
In most cases, you can remain on an employer plan for 18 months, but if you are disabled, you may be able to keep your workplace coverage for as long as 29 months.
If your employer was paying part of your fees while you were employed, they will probably cease to do so once you leave their company. This means that you will be responsible for paying the full premium, and in the 11-month extension that increases your coverage to 29 months, your employer can charge you up to 150% of the premium.
Benefits for Food and Energy
Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries may be eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which provide financial assistance for food based on household size and income.
SSDI beneficiaries may also be eligible for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides financial assistance to pay for energy costs such as air conditioning.
Finally, SSDI recipients may also be eligible for Section 8 housing, which helps low-income families and individuals with rental costs.
These benefits are largely determined by the size of your household and your income.
Conclusion
The SSDI program aims to accommodate older individuals by taking their age into account when determining eligibility for benefits. Workers over the age of 50 may be treated more favorably than younger workers when the SSA looks at eligibility for disability benefits after finding that they cannot perform the normal job duties they had before they were deemed disabled by the SSA.
