Social Security Observes National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: October 31, 2018
In October, we observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in the United States. For more than 70 years, NDEAM has promoted disability inclusion in the workforce and celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities. This year’s theme “America’s Workforce: Empowering All” is near and dear to us at Social Security.
We are with you throughout life’s journey and as we’ve said before, we understand that for millions of people, work is more than a source of income, it’s a part of who they are — it gives them purpose, pride, and another connection with their fellow Americans. While many of our beneficiaries have disabilities and are unable to work, we know that some may want to try. If you’re ready to return to the workforce or work for the first time, we can help. Our work incentives rules make it possible for people with disabilities to work and still receive monthly benefits and Medicare or Medicaid.
For disability beneficiaries, work incentives include a trial work period, an extended period of eligibility for Medicare coverage, and more. For Supplemental Security Income recipients, work incentives include work-related expenses if you are blind, earned income exclusions, educational training exclusions, and, in many states, continued coverage under Medicaid. Read our Ticket to Work blog— particularly our posts on “Work Incentives Wednesdays”— or The Red Book: A Guide to Work Incentives for more information.
Being prepared is the key to success. Our Ticket to Work program offers beneficiaries with disabilities access to meaningful employment with the assistance of employment service providers called employment networks. Employment networks prepare you for the workforce. Our beneficiaries get help finding a job and staying employed, as well as receive instruction on their wage-reporting responsibilities to Social Security. Learn more about our Ticket to Work program to see if it works for you.
Improving our work incentives programs to better support the work efforts of people with disabilities is important to us. We are collaborating with other partners like the Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services to test new programs that can help individuals remain in the workforce after acquiring a disability. We’re also testing simpler work options to our current work incentives to encourage disability beneficiaries to try work. These tests rely on volunteers — learn about these demonstration projects and look out for your chance to participate.
Remember that Social Security is here to help you secure today and tomorrow. You can help us empower all by sharing this information with family and friends.
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Tags: Disability, social security disability benefits
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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tony
Instead of sending people on Social Security disability a letter about the Ticket-To-Work program, the SSA should hold local work shop on the TTW program with representatives from the Employment Network answering people’s questions.
Ray F.
Thanks for your comment, Tony. We value your thoughts and will use your suggestion to explore how we can further improve the services we offer.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Marc
They do. If you’d look at more of this site than just this blog to bash innocent people and the government you’d have known that. May every one of you who posted about “lazy people” be stricken with a hideous, painful, incurable total permanent injury or disease and become 100% dependent on the government programs you bashed. Better yet pancreatic cancer so you’ll die sooner and in agony the whole time – with no health insurance or Medicare because you hated it so much.
tony
The lazy people are using technology like the internet to gather information to bamboozle the SSA. They know how to fill out a disability application, but can’t fill out an employment application.
tony
Lazy people on the disability website forums are telling each other that is is normal to be denied twice by the DDS and get approved at the hearing. Then other lazy people post how they got approved after being denied twice.
Now the lazy people aren’t even phased by the DDS denial and asking for an ALJ hearing.
Someone anonymously needs to post a bunch of negative posts. How they were denied after waiting years for a hearing on these disability forums. Then the lazy people might not want to appeal for a hearing knowing they will get denied.
The lazy people with common disability associate with another. Just post how you have the certain type of disability and was denied. When they hear a bunch of people just like them got denied, then they might get frighten off.
To reduce the backlog, the SSA needs to get the word out that people are being denied at hearing. Approving these lazy people at the hearing causes more of them to apply.
tony
Every lazy person seems to know at least one fraudster and they see this as an opportunity to bamboozle the SSA.
Mikhayl S.
why we can not my account the web by sign in on
Ray F.
If you are unable to create an account or encounter a problem with your my Social Security account, you may:
•Call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”; or
•Contact your local Social Security office.
Patricia
It’s not easy to get approved. I’m still waiting and the stress is only making it worse for me. I’m in constant pain & have tried almost everything to help it, short of heavy narcotics. It’s been almost a year now and it’s terrible that a person who really needs it has to wait that long! I’ve worked my whole life, I’m almost 63, I have CLL a type of leukemia, spinal stenosis, had 2 surgeries on my left ankle that still isn’t fixed & right knee issues after my surgery. I got fired from my last job because I physically couldn’t keep up with the demands of the job. It’s scary having to wait so long.
Marc
For those who are complaining about how long it takes for the Social Security disability process and demanding to know why, here’s your answer. All of you people who constantly scream about how we need “smaller government” got exactly what you called for. The Republican controlled Congress has slashed the budgets of all the social programs including Social Security for decades. Less $ meant closing hundreds of offices, cutting thousands of workers, cutting hours of operation to the bare minimum. Hundreds of rural counties have only one office, open only two days a week for 5-6 hours. Now divide shorter hours and fewer offices and employees by the increasing number of applicants NOT because so many “lazy” people are applying but because it’s because millions of baby boomers swelled the workforce for the past 60-odd years. More workers are applying because there are more workers, not a greater percentage of individuals applying for disability. It’s long past time for people to open their eyes and see that the government is NOT some evil entity out to get their money, nor are the benefits it provides Americans bad or “socialism.” The one and only purpose of government is to ensure the welfare of all the people; it’s all of us together contributing a share towards the good of us all (like sewers, roads, water filtration facilities, just basic survival stuff), not some government grab to hand over “your hard-earned money to lazy/poor/illegal etc people. As long as people keep voting in politicians who cut off vital funds for the average 90% of Americans, you’ll continue to experience longer and delays and even the elimination of the basic services you’ve come to rely on in your everyday life. If you’re able to navigate a computer enough to get here you can certainly Google this fact, or even just click around on this very website you’re on here. Stop believing everything self-serving politicians and ignorant, biased “news” anchors and talkshow hosts tell you and try Googling the issues for yourself, or even, God forbid, go to the website of the ORIGINALSOURCE of the information for the facts instead of opinion, sleazy innuendo, fearmongering, and outright lies.
Joe
You’re wrong the last administration took away the cost of living adjustments and this administration reopened a cost of living raise for the first time in years so you might want to google that. and for people that it took years to get a favorable decision in front of an administrative law judge and a rehabilitation expert and the years that passed while you’re unable to work was counted as working years therefore each one of those years showed 0 credits so I was supposed to receive the maximum payment from having enough credits payed in. Well when I finally got a favorable decision those 4 years it took me my credits was 0000 so only six years of my last ten working years was what my benefits was based on and I’ve struggled to make it if I was able too worked for them 4 years I’d never been signed up for disability I would much rather be working with a nice bank account and good health you can guarantee that I still don’t understand how it works and can’t get no answers other than I was just unlucky to fall into a crack in the law changes during the time I was fighting for my benefits that I started paying into at the age of 16 I know that a lot of people abuse the Ssa but most people would much rather be able too say yes I can as no I’m not able any day.
chris e.
im still trying to figure out why it takes so long to either get approved or denied disability
John
The reasons are many. More people filing or conditions that are hard to prove. Also, backlogs can be caused by understaffing.
Ray F.
Hello Chris. The length of time it takes to receive a decision on your disability claim can vary depending on several factors, such as the nature of your disability and how quickly we obtain medical evidence from your doctor or other medical sources. Also, there may be a high volume of claims in your area.
Some claims can be randomly selected for a quality assurance review of the decision. See our Benefits Planner: Disability – How You Qualify for more information. Thanks!
Craig J.
Doesn’t matter 5 years for me and my case is a winnable one I need four points I’ve worked 35 years and paid in I’ve had five hip replacement, lymphoma, and diabetic neuropathy in feet legs and hands you guys have me as disabled so you only denied me because I’m a worker and you want me to stay working so you can get more money. you are a joke my 2009 taxes were amended and according to SSD handbook that’s forgivable so if I get the points due to me that’s all I need to get paid you don’t even take the time to look it up. You say right on your pamphlet, we are here help, bullshit.
Chris
I know a few lazy people in Alaska villages that work for gold mining companys. And also get their monthly disability checks in which they race to town to play bingo with. So how come social security can’t catch these people who are defrauding the system,can’t they tell who’s on it and why their still paying into it if their suppose to be disa bled
John
The mines may be paying under the table.
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Ray F.
Hi Chris. Social Security takes reports of fraud very seriously. If you suspect Social Security FRAUD, report it. Thanks!
Larry
I call BS, I report numerous ppl where I live and they still get ssd and ssi, the system seems to only work for the ppl that really don’t need the ssi and ssd, its going on 8 months since my hearing and no word.i cant afford my cell bill, my home in in foreclosure and my cars in repossession, every case is different, but if its not in the guidelines of SSA, its not a disability. these ppl get section 8, food stamps, ssd or ssi or even both, and live better then most. they have $1000 cell phones (iPhone X) and exspensive gadgets, just so they don’t have property to claim on their ssi.. its a loaded pile of crap
tony
We need to get some of these lazy people back to work. There is over 2 million applications denied each year which cost several hundred millions dollars. Those lazy people need to go to work. Instead, those lazy people apply again costing taxpayers several hundred millions more. Then the lazy people slip through the cracks and get approved because the SSA is tired of dealing with them.
The lazy people caused the backlog. The ALJ tried to reduce the backlog by approving lazy people OTR without them even meeting the listing. If the lazy people need to get approved through the medical/vocational rules, then the ALJ must get the opinion of the vocational expert at the hearing.
Don’t let these lazy people who created the backlog bamboozle the SSA to reduce and rush to make a decision in their favor.
Marc
How dare you. You are not only incorrect, but incredibly misinformed and cruel, as well. Everything you’ve said is false, incorrect, and nothing more than a repetition of the continuous lies the right wing politicians and ignorant, toxic talk show hosts whose only aim is to convince their uninformed and equally ignorant base that they should demand the termination of the most successful, efficient, and smoothly operated program our government has ever achieved: Social Security. Disability insurance is and always has been an integral part of the SS program, which was intended to ensure that Americans will have at least the basic minimum income to survive with some semblance of dignity when they cannot work any more, whether by retirement at the end of their working years or when disability renders a WORKER who has PAID INTO the system unable to work before their retirement age. Clearly you have no idea how Social Security works. Additionally, your own comment proves you wrong – the mere fact that so many people are being turned down after going through years of endless documentation and waiting and legal gyrations proves how incredibly difficult it is to be approved. Obviously that means nobody is receiving benefits just because they’re too “lazy” to work. But the stupidest part of your comment is that you’re demanding these “lazy” people should have to work when this post is about PUTTING DISABILITY RECIPIENTS BACK TO WORK. Did you even READ the TITLE of the blog post, because obviously you didn’t bother to read the article itself. You are clearly just a troll who doesn’t come to this site for information, but to post nasty criticism about the government. If you’re on Social Security retirement you should know that disabled workers are only receiving the SAME Social Security retirement they’d have gotten after retiring only MUCH LESS than they would have received if they’d worked until retirement. If you’re going to post a comment at least make sure your information is accurate and true. It’s all right here on this very site, by the way. Try reading more and shooting off your mouth less.
John
Do a few lazy people work the system, sure? But most disabled people on the rolls wish that they could return to work. The work incentives help them to so just that.
Johnnethen
I’m currently disabled and receiving SSI and I would love to get off of SSI and get back to full time meaningful work, however my disability prevents me from doing meaningful work.
April C.
Thank you, You’ve made my Day and hopefully encouraged me to worry less on my next interview.
Lesly F.
This years is my 30 years since i been suffering with episode manic depression after my mother died.i’m been denied multiple time for ssa disability even i’m been working in the passed.now my disability claim is an counsel review until
April 2019 for finile decision.
Lesly F.
April i return my attention to your inquiry from my comment i would like you know i’m save buy the grace of Jesus Christ only My God for ever only think believe and in God we trust.Courage April.i am
Your friend do not discourage.
Ray F.
Thank you, April! We’re pleased we can help. We will continue our efforts to meet your requirements and expectations in the years to come.
Lesly F.
This years is my 30 years since i been suffering with episode manic depression after my mother died.i’m been denied multiple time for ssa disability even i’m been working in the passed.now my disability claim is an counsel review until
April 2019 for finile decision.