Disability

Certain Disability Payments and Workers’ Compensation May Affect Your Social Security Benefits

January 17, 2020 • By

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Last Updated: January 17, 2020

" "Many people working nowadays have more than one job. This means they have several sources of income. It’s important to keep in mind that having multiple sources of income can sometimes affect your Social Security benefits; but, it depends on the source.

Disability payments from private sources, such as private pensions or insurance benefits, don’t affect your Social Security disability benefits. Workers’ compensation and other public disability benefits, however, may reduce what you receive from Social Security. Workers’ compensation benefits are paid to a worker because of a job-related injury or illness. These benefits may be paid by federal or state workers’ compensation agencies, employers, or by insurance companies on behalf of employers.

Public disability payments that may affect your Social Security benefits are those paid from a federal, state, or local government for disabling medical conditions that are not job-related. Examples of these are civil service disability benefits, state temporary disability benefits, and state or local government retirement benefits that are based on disability.

Some public benefits don’t affect your Social Security disability benefits. If you receive Social Security disability benefits, and one of the following types of public benefits, your Social Security benefits will not be reduced:

  • Veterans Administration benefits;
  • State and local government benefits, if Social Security taxes were deducted from your earnings; or
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

You can read How Workers’ Compensation and Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits to find out about the possible ways your benefits might be reduced.

Please be sure to report changes. If there is a change in the amount of your other disability payment, or if those benefits stop, please notify us right away. Tell us if the amount of your workers’ compensation or public disability payment increases or decreases. Any change in the amount or frequency of these benefits is likely to affect the amount of your Social Security benefits.

An unexpected change in benefits can have unintended consequences. You can be better prepared if you’re informed and have financially prepared yourself. Visit our benefits planner for information about your options for securing your future.

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About the Author

Mike Korbey, Deputy Commissioner for Communications

Mike Korbey, Deputy Commissioner for Communications

Comments

  1. Sally A.

    how will working effect my SSI disability benefits in the long run

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Sally. You can find more information about working temporarily without losing monthly Social Security disability or SSI benefits by reading our publication, Working while Disabled- How We Can Help. We hope this helps.

  2. jabbar h.

    after retirement you can run your own business and earn your livings by working from home http://www.jobz.pk/marketing-data-entry-online-selling_jobs-348525.html see more here.

  3. Daniel L.

    I am receiving disability payments from SS…my wife is 53 years old…would she receive my benefits upon my death?

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Daniel. The amount of your wife’s potential widows benefit is based on several factors, including: your earnings, when you started receiving benefits, her age, and the amount of her own benefit. We compare her own benefit with her potential survivor benefit. If her survivor benefit would be higher than her own current benefit, she would be eligible for survivor benefits. To learn how much she could be eligible for, she can call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Generally, she will have a shorter wait time if she calls later in the day. You can also learn more information about Survivors benefits here. We hope this helps!

  4. Martin A.

    Yes, please: I contacted Social Security Benefits as per SSA in there letters, to apply for Medical Benefits and any other that I could qualify. I explained and showed SSD permanent qualification letter. Social Worker from Social Security Benefits from Santa Maria not just told me via telephone that I didn’t qualify but if I wanted Medical I had to paid $3,250.00 per month, this only to be paid on my choice when receiving medical attention. SSB, is adding as house income my VA pension and SSD Pension (this last one I don’t receive it yet). According to SSA Web page those two pensions shouldn’t affect my Social Security Benefits. Social Worker, Carranza on top of it told/sent me to get a job with neighbors: “doing their yards, walking their dogs, etc. etc…. So it will help my financial situation. Help.

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Martin. We are sorry to hear about your experience and situation. You may be eligible to receive social services from the state in which you live. These services include Medicaid, free meals, housekeeping help, transportation or help with other problems. To find out whether you may qualify and if you need to file a separate application call the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY, 1-877-486-2048). You also can get information about services in your area from your state or local social services or welfare office. We hope this helps!

  5. renee Z.

    I’m suppose to start getting my father’s veteran survivors benefits but that’s all I know. How do I go about finding out any more information on this?

  6. Stephen C.

    My wife is 54 and considered disabled since July 2018. I am 60 and still working but would like to retire at 62 to care for her. (Alzhiemers). Can I get Medicare at 62 and how would my SS benefits (payments) affect her disability payments. I’ll be taking a large cut at 62 but we can manage with her benefits and mine together. Thanks for your help

    • Tanya R.

      Mr. Cole,
      If Mrs. Cole’s disability began July 2018 her first check would have been December 2018. This would allow her Medicare coverage to begin December 2020 for both Part A (hospital) and Part B (supplementary medical). When you retire at age 62 Medicare coverage based on age would begin in the month you turn 65. You both receive your own benefit independent of the other.

  7. Ankit N.

    Thanks a lot or sharing this post, It really helped me and made me aware!
    Source https://tractorguru.in/second-hand-tractors

  8. Robert

    Veteran still working collecting Social Security Benefits which got hurt on the job is now has a workman’s Comp. case will this an individual? And if he or she receives a Schedule Award will this hurt Social Security Benefits?

  9. Cynthia S.

    Can my representive payee for my SSI received any additional benefits or money for the Care Taker of my funds ??? I’ve heard serveral yes and several no I was just seeing if she can receive funds for taking care of my funds and making sure I have everything and that I make it to app that I have to attend??

    • Kathleen H.

      See what you got? I worked hard for people like you and if you are really sick sorry but I have seen people who never worked and have a lot of kids and they are all diagnosed with an issue more money and food stamps and beautiful cars jewelry and all kinds of stuff I and many wonderful people are not entitled to Enough is Enough and Trump kiss my a oh that’s right you probably would! You have been so sick in the head and so anxious to get people collecting welfare I can not get a trained nor responsible,intelligent person on the phone! And I Hope all this virus ? has worked well for you and your family because I am the mother of health care workers and military service who are essential for working! Only to bring it home to my adorable grandchildren I have3 adult children and all are married with children and in health care jobs lord bless use and kindness kindness kindness and love ❤️ goes a great long way after all I was not raised to be anything but I did not raise my children like that I will never ever act like the person who is well sick I pray for them and then I ask my lord to help me always be so thankful for blessing me with my family and in that I may not seek to be consoled that I understand more than be understood and to love more than I ask for love ❤️

  10. Debby

    This is just another kick in the face for people who are disabled and need to work to survive. The government wants us to be so far down in poverty it is not even funny. They don’t care that you can’t buy food for yourself after paying rent that is higher then it should be. There are people who are on disability that shouldn’t be on it at all. You need to go after all of those people and make them get out and work. I personally don’t believe that alcoholics or drug addicts should be able to get disability at all. They are able bodies who can work with proper help from counselors and other support groups. People who are here illegally have no right to collect social security or any other government help. They never worked a day in their life here, so why do they get all they government benefits that no other person can get that I as a legal citizen. It is wrong and needs to stop. We need to care for people who have worked their whole life paying into social security. I am disabled and if I don’t supplement my disability I can’t as afford to pay rent, food, medicine, doctor Bill’s, and the list goes on. I should not get penalized for trying to keep my head above water and no one else should as long as they are truly disabled and not faking it like so many people do. I should not have to live in a place that us not fit for rats just because I am disabled and that is all I can afford. No legal citizen should have to live like that. You have taken our dignity away and now you want to take more away. You may as well just kill us all off because you don’t care at all how we live and what our life us like being in such poverty. You want to keep us there because then you have all the control and can continue to slowly kill us all.

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