Some people in Houston probably assume that they are unlikely to ever suffer a serious injury that would prevent them from working. But, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), more than 25 percent of people who are 20 years-old today will have a disability before their 67th birthday.
When a person suffers a severe enough injury that they are unable to work for an extended period of time, they may qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Some people may not be aware that SSD benefits for an injury are not limited to only those individuals who suffer a workplace injury. Also, a person’s disability does not have to be permanent for them to qualify for SSD benefits.
Motor vehicle accident injuries, for example, are suffered by millions of people throughout the country each year. Individuals can suffer a wide variety of injuries from these kinds of accidents. While some such injuries may only be minor, others, like broken bones, can greatly impact a victim’s ability to carry out daily tasks.
A broken bone can be severe enough that it would prohibit a person from performing their job. Under the SSA’s Listing of Impairments, a broken bone can qualify a person for disability benefits if the loss of function from that injury is severe enough. In addition, to qualify for benefits, the injury would have to cause the person to be unable to work for at least one year.
An accident injury can leave a person with lost wages, as well as costs for medical expenses and therapy. Even when this kind of an accident happens outside of the workplace, an injured person may qualify for SSD benefits to help cover a portion of their lost earnings. People who are in this situation should look into whether their injury could allow them to get benefits.
Source: Social Security Administration, “Disability Evaluation Under Social Security,” accessed on Aug. 26, 2016