It's been a while since I've been on here. I don't have a computer anymore so have to do this during the slow time at work. Yes...I'm allowed to :)
My doctors are all pressuring me to apply for disability. I guess the right word would be "strongly advising" me to apply for it. I have a question I've not been able to find an answer anywhere for.
I know that once a person is approved for disability they can be allowed to work some. But do you have to completely stop working before applying for benefits? I agree that I need to get on disability. But I feel I can still work some. I have a great job and my boss will let me work as little or as much as I can. I don't want to quit my job, get approved for disability then have to try to get my job back or another new job that will let me work a little bit.
Does anyone know if I can cut way back on my work schedule then apply for benefits and still get them? All of my doctors said that by keeping on working full time I am literally causing my illnesses to get worse. But I am the one who has to figure out how to pay my rent and electricity until benefits are approved.
Any advise?
Thanks in advance!
I applied for Social Security disability in January and have been through their website quite a bit. I checked on the requirements for filing and it said "if you are working in 2013 and making more than $1,040 per month you do not qualify." If your company provides short-term disability that pays you while you are not working you are eligible to file from the day that you stop working, even though you are being paid.
I'm including a link here to information on the SSA website regarding working while you get SSA disability benefits. You can work and collect benefits but you can only make up to $1,000 a month without losing any benefits. After that amount your benefit is reduced dollar for dollar for the money that you make.
http://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/generalinfo.htm#work
I hope this answers your questions. If you need more information I would suggest calling the SSA. You can find out if you have a local office on the website. I have called mine a couple of times and they have been very helpful. I hope you find a way to follow your doctors' advice.
Karen R
Thanks Karen! I read that same thing about the $1040 per month too but I thought that meant after I was approved. I plan to call the nearest office again on Monday. The last time I called the lady who answered wasn't very helpful. Maybe I will get someone else this time.
I'm lucky that my job realizes that I have value in some capacity and will allow me to work the hours I am able.
Thanks for the link too!
I just found this information too! I hope it helps anyone else who had the same question as I did.
I hope it's ok to post from another web site. I'm sorry if it's not. I don't know how to post a link.
What constitutes disability? For Social Security disability or SSI purposes, to be considered disabled, individuals must have an impairment, either medical, psychological, or psychiatric in nature, that keeps them from being able to do substantial gainful activity (SGA, discussed below). In addition, the disabled person's impairment must have prevented the individual from doing SGA for at least 12 months, or be expected to prevent the individual from doing SGA for at least 12 months. (This durational requirement means that while severe back conditions can qualify for Social Security disability or SSI, wrist or ankle sprains seldom qualify as disabling conditions.)
Substantial Gainful Activity
To be considered a disabled person for Social Security purposes, a disability applicant must be unable to perform substantial work. Generally, this means working and earning above a certain amount; currently, making over $1,040 per month. But for the self-employed (people who own businesses or do contract work), there are other tests Social Security uses to determine if someone is doing SGA.
Applicants cannot be working above the SGA level when they apply for benefits (some applicants keep working, planning to quit if they qualify for benefits). A person earning more than the SGA amount who applies for Social Security disability or SSI benefits will be denied the same day without having their impairments or medical records even considered. (This is referred to as a "technical denial.") However, disabled individuals may be working part-time when they apply for Social Security disability, as long as they do not earn more than the SGA amount (as long as this doesn't lead Social Security to think you could work a full-time job).
One more point that might be helpful to one applying for SSDI is that the older you are, the more likely you will be approved. For example, a person of 40 years old can be in the workforce another 25 years and some additional training (may)(or may not) be worthwhile. If certain amount of $$ gets the person trained and they can be self sufficient for another 20 or 25 years, that's a worthwhile investment.
If a person is 59, it might not be worthy to try and retrain this person as they do not have many years left in the workforce and the investment may not pay off. (pun intended). Over 50 and I think they take a closer look. This message isn't to anyone specific, but I thought I'd add it in here. Hope it helps. Lucy
Do you have Short Term and Long Term Disability at your employers?
If so, look into the details of what the conditions are to be able to take that type of disability. The details vary by company, so you'll have to get a copy of the policy and read the details. But generally, they are much less rigorous than SS.
If you can take that, then you can start the process of applying for Social Security Disability. If you are approved for SSDI, you will (generally) continue to received the LTD, minus the amount from SSDI. For example if your SDDI benefit is $1000 a month, and LTD pays you $1500 a month, you'll continue to receive a total of $1500 - $1000 from Social Security and $500 from the LTD.
You can also look up online how much SSDI benefits you would receive. That's an important number to know for planning purposes, because for most people, it's a lot less than they thought! See socialsecurity.gov.