New Rule Modernizes How We Award Disability Benefits
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: February 24, 2020
The Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. A successful disability program must evolve and support making the right decision as early in the process as possible. To help us do that, we must modernize the rules and standards we use to evaluate how we determine disability benefits. We are moving forward with a rule change that has been in the works for a number of years and serves to update a more than 40-year-old policy that made the inability to communicate in English a factor in awarding disability benefits. The new rule is effective April 27, 2020.
We are required to consider education to determine if your medical condition prevents work. In 2015, our Inspector General recommended that we evaluate the appropriateness of this policy. Research now shows the inability to communicate in English is no longer a good measure of a person’s education level or the ability to engage in work. The new rule also supports the Administration’s longstanding focus of recognizing that individuals with disabilities can remain in the workforce.
To make the right disability decisions, Social Security disability rules must continue to reflect current medicine and evolution of work. We need to update our rules to keep up with society’s changes.
We owe it to the American public to ensure that our disability programs continue to reflect the realities of the modern workplace. Please share this information with your family and friends.
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About the Author
Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Commissioner of Social Security Administration (June 17, 2019 - July 9, 2021)
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Nancy A.
Re: New Rule Modernizes How We Award Disability Benefits… I am confused and not understanding this new rule. I have been on SSDI since 2009. I went thru a medical review in 2017. The outcome was that my Disability is continuing and my next review would be in 7 years. I will be 65 at that time. I have been working part time to supplement my income all these years but it’s never went over the SGA and it’s not the same kind of work I did before being awarded SSDI. I do have a Bachelor’s degree. So at the time of my next medical review, will SSA look at my education as being able to go back to work full time? at 65?
Karon M.
August 7, 2020
Commissioner Andrew Saul,
Mr. Saul,
South Carolina Social Security Disability Determination Services has problems with all phone numbers.
Please call 843-953-0300, so you can determine the problem. The Disability Determination Services has been out 2 months. I understand we as a nation are in difficult times, but not having phone services, we have technology. HELP!!!! Please help! Karon Mitchell
V.V.
Hi Karon, thanks for using our blog. Please contact your local Social Security office regarding the DDS telephone number. Look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Mary
I applied for SSI and was denied. I am waiting for a decision of the Appeal to the Appeals Council. Can I collect any type of benefits while I am waiting for a decision. I have many outstanding bills and no income.
V.V.
Hi Mary, thanks for using our blog. You may be eligible to receive additional assistance from the state where you live while you are waiting for a determination on your disability claim. These services include Medicaid, 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. Thanks.
Marilyn
I have a thyroid condition and hi blood pressure do I qualify for ss disability?
V.V.
Hi Marilyn, thanks for using our blog. We pay disability benefits through two programs: the Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must have worked long enough and recently enough in jobs covered by Social Security (usually within the last 10 years). The (SSI) program is a needs based program that gives cash assistance to disabled individuals with limited income and resources. We pay disability benefits to people who are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last one year or more or to end in death. If you think you may be eligible to receive disability benefits and would like to apply, you can use our online application.
For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page on disability. Thanks!
Lisa F.
My friend applied for SSD and was denied. He went through all his appeals and was still denied. This all took about seven years. Is he able to start all over again and apply for SSD again?
V.V.
Hi Lisa, thanks for using our blog. We are sorry to hear of your friend’s condition. Have your friend check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details on the eligibility requirements for disability benefits. If he meets the requirements, he can apply again. We hope this is helpful.
Brian W.
Born premature weighing 2lbs & given up at birth and then I became stable and moved to a youth ,children,family services home by the Allegheny County Department of Services the first 2 years of my life.The ACDHS said iam developmentally delayed.Adopted my 2nd year in the home and adoptive parents moved to Oklahoma City where the adopted parents perceived me as being slow so they were unable to accept this problem so they relinquished their parental rights to a Sunbeam Family Services foster home for the developmentally delayed .The Allegheny County dEPARTMENT of Human Services said I may have subtle learning disabilities due to my prematurity.And then at age 17 yrs old I was in a severe auto/pedestrian accident where I had closed head injury,shattered left hip and femur,perm. displaced coccyx,internel bvleeding,dislocvated lefgt arm,frontal lobe damage,and had to learn how to wallkagain and was in a coma.Im on SSI ,but I think that I should be on SSDI cause I could collect off my parents Social Security .Is there any way you could have a worker call me and help me with this matter please.I have no one after my adopted mother passed away 12 yrs ago the rest of my family has not one of my relatives even tried to get ahold of me.But you probably wont help either.Thanks Brian 4059227134
V.V.
Hi Brian, thanks for using our blog. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. To look into benefits on a parent’s record, please call us at 1-800-772-1213 or you can contact your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Jeanne H.
My Husband had to stop working at 62 because his kidneys quit working. We filed disability in 2)022 but iT was by phone call. We were both in the hospital & weren’t able to be here to get the phone call. He had to have surgery & his kidneys started working again. He wasn’t able to work. He found out he had type 2 diabetes. He took early retirement at 62. My lquestion is if we file disability on him now would it help him as far as benefits. He fell in 2018 & is now in a wheelchair. He can walk with a walker a short distance but he starts shaking & falls. He has had surgeries & seen a lot of specialists. I know he wouldn’t get back pay. I’m just wondering if it would be helpful to get legally disabled.
M
V.V.
Hi Jeanne, thanks for using our blog. It depends on how old your husband currently is. When a person has reached their full retirement age (Currently 66) and is receiving Social Security retirement, they are no longer eligible for disability benefits. If your husband is under his full retirement age, he absolutely can apply for disability benefits.
If he has any questions or wants to apply, he can call us at 1-800-772-1213 or contact his local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
B.B.dharmayya
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Dharmayya
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N
I was wondering if my ex husband is going to get ssdi ( just not to pay me alimony) and he was awarded disability and is only 50 years old… 1 how much of his disability will i get for alimony & child support? a certain percentage? 2 Can I get SSDI under his name if I am only 50? since he is supposed to pay me alimony and is using his disability as a way out
Angie
Your child will receive a check until they are 18 years old or graduate high school, whichever comes first. You will not be entitled to any of his disabilty income in form of alimony nor can you get SSDI under his name. You are not the one disabled, he is.