Pittsburgh, PA SSDI

Pittsburgh SSD Info

However old you are, when you have a medical impairment that prevents you from working, you might be in a position to claim benefits from your Social Security Administration (SSA). You can find two benefit programs you may apply for:

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): available only to disabled people who've already worked to get a definite number of years.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI): available to disabled or elderly folks whose incomes and assets are very low.

SSDI is a part of the United States' Social Security program, which is officially known as the "Old Age, Survivors And Disability Insurance System," or OASDI. SSI is not. But the benefit from both programs is cash, the sum according to which program you meet the requirements for.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

To meet the requirements for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you mustn't only be disabled, but you must also have built up adequate "work credits" with Social Security. Exactly how many credits you will need depends upon your actual age and the year you became disabled. Before you became disabled, you must have worked some part of the last ten years.

Your Social Security disability benefits will include cash payments in an amount determined based on your own personal earnings record in case your application is approved. Average payments range from $1,000 to $1, Higher earners who paid FICA taxes that are higher can get a larger benefit.

After collecting disability benefits for 24 months, you will become eligible for Medicare, regardless of your age. For the time being, if your revenue is not high, you could qualify for Medicaid.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application is run by the SSA, but it is really a cooperative program between the SSA and your state government. Which means that the total amount of benefits you receive, as well as your qualifications, will depend on what state you live in. For national SSA intentions, however, you should match all these four criteria:

You have to be blind, handicapped, or age 65 or over.

You need to be either a citizen of the USA, or meet very narrow demands according to your U.S. permanent residency, military service, or political asylee or refugee status.

Your monthly income http://www.expressbusinessdirectory.com/Companies/Ruth-Kolb-Law-Office-C150194 must be low. This counted income cannot be higher than an amount set by the state in which you live -- from $700 to $1,400 per month., although only about half your earned income is going to be taken into account Nonetheless, some states allow people who have incomes that are higher for state benefits.

The property you own (minus specific items, including your car and house) must be worth less than $2,000, or $3,000 for a couple.

In case your application is approved, your SSI benefits will include cash payments of $733 per month for an individual or $1,100 per month for a couple (2015), less part of your income. Your state may supplement this amount with an additional payment (called the State Supplementary Payment). The national amount is adjusted in January of each year, depending about the U.S. cost of living.

Once you're accepted for SSI in many state, you'll also automatically become qualified for food stamps and Medicaid.

How the SSA Defines Impairment

An essential element of claiming benefits under either Social Security plan is proving that you are seriously disabled -- that is, that you've got a physical or mental condition that prevents you from doing any considerable "gainful activity" (work) and will last a minumum of one year or will cause your departure.

The determination of whether you are handicapped leaves lots of room for argument. The fact that you feel too sick to work, or that your physician might have advised you not to work, does not necessarily imply the SSA will agree that you are disabled.

The SSA claims examiners and evaluates disability for both SSI and SSDI claims using its own medical experts. These decision makers use both a record of physical and mental conditions and assessments of your "residual functional capacity" to determine whethr you are disabled.