Social Security Disability Benefits For Surviving Spouse – Published: February 28, 2022 / Last Modified: March 4, 2022 / In All Blog Posts, Social Security
If you or a loved one is disabled and unable to work, what are your options for financial assistance? Private disability insurance or workers’ compensation (in the case of a work-related disability) may provide assistance, and what else?
Table of Contents
- Social Security Disability Benefits For Surviving Spouse
- What Happens When A Person Dies Before Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits?
- Social Security Income
- Social Security May Offer A Lifetime Of Protection
- Social Security Benefits: What To Do When Your Spouse Dies
- Covid Widows Struggle To Get Social Security Benefits
- Social Security Survivor Benefits For A Spouse
- Do I Qualify For Social Security Disability Benefits?
Social Security Disability Benefits For Surviving Spouse
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has two programs to help people with disabilities – Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). You may qualify for one or both of these programs.
What Happens When A Person Dies Before Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is federal disability insurance that is automatically enrolled through Social Security taxes withheld from your paycheck. These tax payments give you access to cash and medical benefits if you become disabled before retirement age. Eligible family members can also avail benefits through this program. The benefits provided are based on your past earnings and usually continue until you are able to work regularly.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program to help those unable to work meet their basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) with financial assistance. SSI is funded by general tax revenue, so the recipient is not required to have previously worked or contribute to Social Security. Benefits depend on your current resources, financial and otherwise. Minors with physical or mental disabilities or blindness may also be eligible for financial assistance under this program.
Both SSDI and SSI use the same qualifications to determine disability, but differences in work history and financial need between programs affect who qualifies for each.
Because SSDI is funded by Social Security taxes from your previous wages, you must have an earnings record to prove that you have worked long enough and recently to qualify for disability benefits.
Social Security Income
Workers are given “work credits” based on their earnings to measure their eligibility for Social Security benefits. The amount of earnings required for work credits varies each year, and an employee can currently earn an annual maximum of 4 work credits with $6,040 in earnings (2022). In total, 40 work credits are required to qualify for benefits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10 years before your disability began. (Younger workers may qualify with lower loan amounts because they are not yet of working age to earn more.)
Social Security’s definition of disability covers only people with total disabilities who cannot work and does not receive benefits for those with partial or short-term disabilities.
If you’re still working, Social Security uses your current earnings to determine whether your work constitutes “substantial gainful activity (SGA).” In 2022, a monthly income of more than $1,350 ($2,260 if you’re blind) generally means you don’t have a qualifying disability. If you have low income (or have never worked), your claim will go to Disability Determination Services (DDS) to evaluate your health status based on the following four questions.
A “severe” condition means your condition significantly limits your ability to perform “essential work-related activities” and is expected to last at least 12 months or cause death.
Social Security May Offer A Lifetime Of Protection
The SSA maintains several lists of qualifying medical conditions. If your condition is not on the list, an individual decision must be made.
There are two expedited options for cases with a high probability of admission. It allows compassionate grants to be approved when the diagnosis is confirmed for “certain cancers, brain diseases in adults and some rare diseases affecting children”. Quick Disability Decisions (QDD) use technology to identify applicants with severe disabilities who are likely to qualify. These options can often speed up the rehabilitation process from months to days for those with more severe conditions.
If you cannot do your previous job, your health, age, education, work experience and skills will be taken into account when you find another job. If you can’t find another job, you may be eligible for SSDI benefits.
If you are accepted for disability benefits, your monthly benefit amount will be determined based on your previous average income and other benefits you currently receive (total disability, workers’ compensation, state pension, etc.). The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides an online benefits calculator to help you estimate your benefits. If you start receiving SSDI benefits before you retire, your disability benefits will automatically convert to a retirement benefit when you reach full retirement age, even though the monthly benefit amount will remain the same.
Social Security Benefits: What To Do When Your Spouse Dies
Supplemental Security Income is also an option for people with disabilities, and it differs from SSDI in that it does not require a work record but does require proof of need.
Individuals who are blind or totally disabled (as defined above) may qualify for SSI assistance. This means that they are unable to perform “substantial gainful activity (SGA)” for at least 12 months due to their condition. Non-disabled adults 65 or older may also qualify if they meet financial qualifications.
Because SSI is provided on the basis of need, only those with low incomes and limited resources are eligible. “Income” and “resources” have specific definitions that help determine eligibility.
Income: Income is any money you receive (such as wages, pensions, or Social Security benefits) and any food and lodging you provide. Acceptable income levels vary from state to state. A spouse’s or parent’s (if a minor) share of income is also included, but there are many exceptions, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, most home energy assistance, from home to private nonprofits. Scholarships and a portion of all wages earned.
Covid Widows Struggle To Get Social Security Benefits
Resources: Resources are things you own. To qualify for SSI, your resources must not exceed $2,000 ($3,000 for a married couple). Resources that calculate cash, bank accounts, stocks, bonds and real estate. Unaccounted resources are the home/land you live in, your car (usually), burial (for you and your family), funeral fund for you and your spouse (up to $1,500 each), and life insurance policies with a face. Value $1,500 or less.
If you qualify, the amount of SSI payments depends on your income and available resources, as well as the state in which you live. Some states add money to the federal money to increase compensation. It’s also possible to qualify for and receive SSI and SSDI at the same time, what the Social Security Administration calls “concurrent benefits.”
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): If an insured employee no longer collects SSDI due to retirement or death, family members have several options for receiving benefits from the employee’s record. Your Social Security representative or Social Security disability attorney can help you determine if you qualify.
There is a limit on the amount that a survivor can collect when collecting benefits, and there is also a limit on the amount that an employee and his family members can collect from the employee’s service history, usually 150 to 180 percent of the insured’s disability benefit. Benefits for a divorced spouse are not included in regular family.
Social Security Survivor Benefits For A Spouse
Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Under SSI, children with disabilities or blindness may qualify for financial assistance if their families have very limited income and resources. The child must have a condition (physical or mental) that severely limits his activities and has lasted (or is expected to last) for at least one year or caused death. Our online Child Disability Starter Kit and Fact Sheet can help you by answering some frequently asked questions and providing a worksheet to help you gather information for your child’s disability record.
The SSA website has a button to fill out a disability application online. The online application can be used to apply for SSDI and SSI at the same time, but only if you are not currently receiving Social Security benefits. Before filling the application, consider the following steps.
If you choose to enlist the help of a Social Security disability attorney, he or she can help you write and submit your application. Otherwise, you can apply through the SSA website, through your local Social Security office, by phone through the SSA’s toll-free number, or by mailing your application. Once your application is accepted, you will receive a letter containing the SSA’s decision, unless new information is required.
Social Security disability programs are a complex subject, and there is help to make this complex a reality. Talk to an attorney or Social Security worker for more information to determine if Social Security disability benefits are an option for you.
Do I Qualify For Social Security Disability Benefits?
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