The Role of "Credits" in Social Security Disability Cases
Disability Benefits
Disability benefits are available to qualified recipients under two programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). Benefits continue until you are able to work again on a regular basis, or until you reach retirement age. At that point, the disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits, but the amount remains the same. After receiving SSDI benefits for two years, you also become eligible for health insurance coverage under Medicare. Medicaid is available to SSI recipients.
SSDI Compared to SSI
SSDI works like any other insurance policy. If you are insured and become disabled you get benefits. Becoming insured means you have earned enough work credits, that is, you worked and paid Social Security taxes for enough years to become insured. More on that later.
SSI is available to people who do not have enough credits within the qualifying period, which is the ten years before you became disabled. Generally, you need 20 credits out of 40, or put another way, a five year work history out of the last ten. However, SSI is not available to people who are disabled but have another source of income such as a spouse’s job or if the SSI claimant has he or she can draw on to support themselves. Social Security calls this the non-medical requirements for SSI eligibility. For example, if you are disabled but your spouse makes about $20,000 a year or more you probably do not qualify. Another example is if you are not married but you own more than one car or more than one house or other real estate, or have more than $2000 in the bank or other assets such as stocks or cash value in a life insurance policy.
Eligibility Requirements for SSDI
You must have earned a certain number of work credits before you can qualify for SSDI disability benefits. However, fewer credits are required to qualify for the disability program than for retirement. You can earn up to four credits per year of employment. How many credits you need to qualify for disability depends on the age you become disabled.
Before age 24 You may qualify if you have six credits earned in the three-year period ending when your disability starts.
Age 24 to 31 You may qualify if you have credit for having worked half the time between age 21 and the time you become disabled. For example, if you become disabled at age 27, you would need credit for three years of work (12 credits) out of the previous six years (between age 21 and age 27).
Age 31 or older In general, you will need to have accumulated 20 or more credits (unless you are blind), and those credits must have been earned in the 10 years immediately before you became disabled. The total credits needed increases with age.
Conclusion
The Social Security Administration has hundreds if not thousands of rules related to disability. This article covers only the basics of qualifying for benefits. Proving disability by knowing how to navigate the rules is the key to receiving benefits.
Call me at 210-212-5333 for answers to your Social Security disability questions.
Posted by Tom Moseley on 13th January, 2012 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: credits, benefits, qualifying, disability, SSI attorney, SSDI attorney, Disability Attorney San Antonio, Social Security Attorney, questions, Social Security Disability
