Disability

If You Have a Disability, Social Security Can Help

October 8, 2015 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: October 8, 2015

Father and two daughters October is Disability Awareness Month. For Social Security, disability is always at the forefront of our conversations. We hear stories daily about Americans living with disabling conditions who need help from the system they contributed to during their working life. Their stories make us proud of the work we do.

Through our Faces and Facts of Disability website, we share the stories about what it means to receive disability benefits from Social Security. The site highlights some of the people who benefit from our programs. We believe that learning the facts and hearing peoples’ stories about disability allows for a better understanding of what’s perhaps the most misunderstood Social Security program.

The Social Security Act sets a very strict definition of disability. Social Security pays benefits to insured people who can’t work because they have a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. The impairment must be so severe that it renders the person unable to perform not only his or her previous work, but also any other substantial work.

Social Security doesn’t provide temporary or partial disability benefits. Because the eligibility requirements are so strict, our disability beneficiaries are among the most severely impaired people in the country. Our new online resources, the state disability fact sheets and our national disability issue paper, provide specific information about our recipients’ demographics by state and congressional district. These resources are proof of Social Security’s economic impact and benefit to our most vulnerable citizens.

Disability is something we don’t like to think about, or we may think it can’t happen to us. But the odds of becoming disabled are greater than we realize. The Social Security disability program excels in providing services to people when they need it the most.

For us, disability has faces and names — among them Larry, Kiera, Ebbie, Charlotte, Jamie, and Christine. We want to invite you to come see their faces, and learn the facts. They are truly at the heart of what we do.

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About the Author

Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications

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Comments

  1. Joseph M.

    I have been out of work sents I got out of jail in may I did 2yrs and before that I had been out of “for 3 yrs I can’t stand for enemy long time it hurts all the time and my mind has been not right I am in hozito for mental health depression and anxiety and as u can see can’t spell real good been spesal class all my life and they say I am not disable u tell me got no home or places to go what am airport to do

  2. William S.

    Glen.seals1369@gmail.com

    I am on disability and my question is does SSDI cover for me to have helper visits in my home?

    • Vonda V.

      Hi William. Thanks for your question. We do not pay caregivers. However, you may be eligible to receive social services from the state in which you live. These services include free meals, housekeeping help, transportation, or help with other problems. You can get information about services in your area from your state or local social services office. You can also visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web page for more information.

  3. Robert j.

    My name is Robert jr. Abrams did not receive my benefits for October I just got this letter in the mail I went to the SD building in Columbia SC and they gave me a run around or I just don’t understand please help me my ss XXX-XX-XXXX

    • Ray F.

      Unfortunately, but for security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog. Please continue working with your local office. You can request to speak with the manager if necessary.
      If you are unable to visit the local office, you can call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213, representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week.
      Just a reminder – Please be cautious about posting personal information on social media channels. Thanks.

  4. Steven P.

    I don’t know if this will EVER be seen by anyone in any position of authority at the SSA, however I feel that I need to say something.
    I have several mental conditions which make it virtually impossible for me to hold down any kind of steady work.
    Among them are ADHD(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Tourettes syndrome, depression, and anxiety.
    The problem I have been having is that I keep being turned down for disability even though my conditions, (caused by 2 separate brain traumas) prevent me from being able to hold down work.
    The first caused by the severe trauma of the way i was born. My lungs were collapsed, leaving me without oxygen for over 10 minutes. Pneumo-thorax. I suffered brain damage because of oxygen deprivation. I had to have 7 full blood volume transfusions, Merconium aspiration, my heart had stopped beating, was enlarged and had to be resuscitated several times, complete renal failure.
    Then when I was 9 yrs old, almost 10, I was involved in an automobile accident in which i had fallen off of the bed of a pick-up truck, impacting my head with the road causing a concussion and further brain damage resulting in the aforementioned ADHD and Tourettes syndrome, which caused me to have many severe problems in school and later on in work. I of course have full medical documentation to support my claims. THIS IS NOT MERELY A CHILDHOOD DISORDER!!! It never goes away, even with medication. And yet, it is only listed under eligible conditions for children.

    I demand that it be re listed as a covered condition for adult disability.

    If anyone reading this has suffered with similar conditions, PLEASE, contact disability and demand that myself and others like me are granted the disability benefits that we deserve. I have worked in the past, however unsuccessfully, but I have paid into the disability system and now that my condition has gotten worse over time, it has become all but impossible for me to maintain gainful employment. However i have been denied benefits in the past. I have re-filed for disability benefits yet again and am presently awaiting a medical review.

  5. Anne B.

    Hi I am a Peer Coach who works at Rochester Regional Behavioral Health. I have a client who would like to know what she qualifies for at the age 65. She gets $114 from SSI.
    Sincerely,
    Anne Bennett

  6. Shawn P.

    My name is Shawn Stopper and I have had MS for twenty two years now. I am looking to purchase a home in Williamsport, PA. Please help me in any way you can and I do thank you very much.

    Thank you.
    Shawn Stopper

    • Vonda V.

      Hello Shawn, for information on public housing assistance visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmenthttps://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance website.

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  8. Annette V.

    For some reason I can’t get my. On-line account up I told social security and still nothing. Trying to check if I have any benefits because I’m homeless.

  9. lanauy18

    Updated engagement call:
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  10. Kelly V.

    I’m receiving social security disability . I’m woundering how many hours a week I can work or a month

    • Vonda V.

      Hi Kelly. Thank you for your question. Social Security has special rules that make it possible for people with disabilities receiving Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to work and still receive monthly payments. These are called work incentives.

      For SSDI beneficiaries, there is a Trial Work Period (TWP) and then an Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). The TWP allows you to test your ability to work for at least 9 months. During this period, you will receive your full disability benefit regardless of how much you earn as long as your work activity is reported and you continue to have a disabling impairment. In 2018, any month in which earnings exceed $850 is considered a month of the 9-month trial work period.

      Once you’ve completed your TWP, you get a 36-month safety net called the EPE. During the EPE, you get benefits for all months your earnings or work activities are below the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level as long as you continue to have a disabling impairment. Social Security will suspend cash benefits for months earnings are over SGA and start benefits again if earnings fall below the SGA level. In 2018, you are earning SGA if your earnings, after any allowable deductions, are more than $1,180 in a month.

      See Social Security’s Red Book for descriptions of the many work incentives.

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