Did you know that statistics indicate that a 20-year-old American worker has a one in four chance of becoming disabled before reaching their full retirement age? As a society, we have chosen to provide assistance to disabled workers through a government-operated insurance plan. This insurance plan is called Social Security Disability, and the program is administered by the Social Security Administration, the same government agency that oversees Social Security old age benefits. This blog post will provide some basic information about Social Security Disability benefits.
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, a worker must meet some health-related criteria. First, a worker must be unable to work because they have a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year or to result in death. Second, a worker must not have a short-term or partial disability. Third, a worker must be younger than the full retirement age. And last, the worker’s condition must meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of a disability.
What conditions meet the government’s definition of a disability? The government publishes a large number of federal regulations and guidance documents to help government workers and the public determine whether a certain condition might make a worker eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.
Because Social Security Disability is set up as an insurance plan, the benefits are available to those who have paid into the system. These payments are in the form of payroll taxes that most Houston workers see on their pay stubs each payday. There are many more rules and regulations in the realm of Social Security Disability. More information can be found in government publications and from Social Security Disability attorneys.
Source: Benefits.gov, “Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits,” accessed on Oct. 29, 2017