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Contacting
Social Security
Visit our website
Our website, www.socialsecurity.gov, is a valuable
resource for information about all of Social Security’s programs.
At our website you also can:
Call our 1-800 number
In addition to using our website, you also can
call toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. We can answer specific
questions and provide information by automated phone service 24 hours
a day. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number,
1-800-325-0778.
We treat all calls confidentially. We also want to make sure you receive
accurate and courteous service. That is why we have a second Social Security
representative monitor some telephone calls. |
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Disability
Benefits |
Disability
is something most people do not like to think about. But the chances that
you will become disabled probably are greater than you realize. Studies
show that a 20-year-old worker has a 3 in 10 chance of becoming disabled
before reaching retirement age.
This booklet provides basic information on Social Security disability
benefits and is not intended to answer all questions. For specific information
about your situation, you should talk with a Social Security representative.
We pay disability benefits through two programs: the Social Security disability
insurance program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
This booklet is about the Social Security disability program. For information
about the SSI disability program for adults, see our publication, Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) (Publication No. 05-11000). For information
about disability programs for children, refer to our publication, Benefits
For Children With Disabilities (Publication No. 05-10026). Our
publications are available online at www.socialsecurity.gov.
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Who can get
Social Security disability benefits? |
Social Security
pays benefits to people who cannot work because they have a medical condition
that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. Federal
law requires this very strict definition of disability. While some programs
give money to people with partial disability or short-term disability,
Social Security does not.
Certain family members of disabled workers also can receive money from
Social Security. This is explained on page 11.
How do I meet the earnings requirement for disability benefits?
In general, to get disability benefits, you must meet two different earnings
tests:
- A “recent work” test based on your
age at the time you became disabled; and
- A “duration of work” test to show
that you worked long enough under Social Security.
Certain blind workers have to meet only the “duration of work”
test.
The table below, shows the rules for how much
work you need for the “recent work” test based on your age
when your disability began. The rules in this table are based on the calendar
quarter in which you turned or will turn a certain age.
The calendar quarters are:
First Quarter: |
January 1 through March 31 |
Second Quarter: |
April 1 through June 30 |
Third Quarter: |
July 1 through September 30 |
Fourth Quarter: |
October 1 through December 31 |
Rules
for work needed for the “recent work test” |
If you become disabled... |
Then you generally need:
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In or before the quarter you turn age 24 |
1.5 years of work during the three-year period ending with the quarter
your disability began.
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In the quarter after you turn age 24 but before the quarter you
turn age 31 |
Work during half the time for the period beginning with the quarter
after you turned 21 and ending with the quarter you became disabled.
Example: If you become disabled in the quarter you turned age 27,
then you would need three years of work out of the 6-year period ending
with the quarter you became disabled.
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In the quarter you turn age 31 or later |
Work during 5 years out of the 10-year period ending with the quarter
your disability began.
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The following table shows examples of how much work you need to meet the
“duration of work test” if you become disabled at various
selected ages. For the “duration of work” test, your work
does not have to fall within a certain period of time.
NOTE: This table does not cover all situations.
Examples of
work needed for the “duration of work”
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If you become disabled...
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Then you generally need: |
Before age 28 |
1.5 years of work |
Age 30 |
2 years |
Age 34 |
3 years |
Age 38 |
4 years |
Age 42 |
5 years |
Age 44 |
5.5 years |
Age 46 |
6 years |
Age 48 |
6.5 years |
Age 50 |
7 years |
Age 52 |
7.5 years |
Age 54 |
8 years |
Age 56 |
8.5 years |
Age 58 |
9 years |
Age 60 |
9.5 years |
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How do I apply
for disability benefits? |
There are
two ways that you can apply for disability benefits. You can:
- Apply online at www.socialsecurity.gov;
or
- Call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213,
to make an appointment to file a disability claim at your local Social
Security office or to set up an appointment for someone to take your
claim over the telephone. The disability claims interview lasts about
one hour. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our toll-free
TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
on business days. If you schedule an appointment, a Disability Starter
Kit will be mailed to you. The Disability Starter Kit will help you
get ready for your disability claims interview. If you apply online,
the Disability Starter Kit is available at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
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When should
I apply and what information do I need? |
You should
apply for disability benefits as soon as you become disabled. It
can take a long time to process an application for disability benefits
(three to five months). We will be able to process your application
faster if you provide us with information (see below) when you apply for
benefits, and complete the Disability Report. You can complete the Disability
Report online at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/3368.
You can also print the Disability Report, complete it and return it to
your local Social Security office. We may be able to process your application
faster if you help us by getting any other information we need, such as
medical evidence.
The information you need includes:
- Your Social Security number;
- Your birth or baptismal certificate;
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of the doctors,
hospitals, clinics and institutions that
took care of you and dates of your visits
- Names and dosage of all the medicine you take;
- Medical records from your doctors, therapists,
hospitals, clinics and caseworkers;
- Laboratory and test results;
- A summary of where you worked and the kind
of work you did; and
- A copy of your most recent W-2 Form (Wage
and Tax Statement) or, if you are self-employed, your federal tax
return for the past year.
In addition to the basic application for disability
benefits, there are other forms you will need to fill out. One form collects
information about your medical condition and how it affects your ability
to work. Other forms give doctors, hospitals and other health care professionals
who have treated you permission to send us information about your medical
condition.
Do not delay applying for benefits if you cannot get all of this information
together quickly. We will help you get it.
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Who decides
if I am disabled? |
We will review
your application to make sure you meet some basic requirements for disability
benefits. We will check whether you worked enough years to qualify. Also,
we will evaluate any current work activities. If you meet these requirements,
we will send your application to the Disability Determination Services
office in your state.
This state agency completes the disability decision for us. Doctors and
disability specialists in the state agency ask your doctors for information
about your condition. They will consider all the facts in your case. They
will use the medical evidence from your doctors and hospitals, clinics
or institutions where you have been treated and all other information.
They will ask your doctors:
- What your medical condition is;
- When your medical condition began;
- How your medical condition limits your activities;
- What the medical tests have shown; and
- What treatment you have received.
They also will ask the doctors for information
about your ability to do work-related activities, such as walking, sitting,
lifting, carrying and remembering instructions. Your doctors are not asked
to decide if you are disabled.
The state agency staff may need more medical information before they can
decide if you are disabled. If more information is not available from
your current medical sources, the state agency may ask you to go to a
special examination. We prefer to ask your own doctor, but sometimes the
exam may have to be done by someone else. Social Security will pay for
the exam and for some of the related travel costs.
How we make the decision
We use a five-step process to decide if you are
disabled.
1. Are you working?
If you are working and your earnings for 2004 average more than $810 a
month, we generally will not consider you disabled. If you are not working,
or your earnings average $810 a month or less, the state agency then looks
at your medical condition.
2. Is your medical condition “severe”?
For the state agency to decide that you are disabled, your medical condition
must significantly limit your ability to do basic work activities—such
as walking, sitting and remembering—for at least one year. If your
medical condition is not that severe, the state agency will not consider
you disabled. If your condition is that severe, the state agency goes
on to step three.
3. Is your medical condition on the List of Impairments?
The state agency has a List of Impairments that describes medical conditions
that are considered so severe that they automatically mean that you are
disabled as defined by law. If your condition (or combination of medical
conditions) is not on this list, the state agency looks to see if your
condition is as severe as a condition that is on the list. If the severity
of your medical condition meets or equals that of a listed impairment,
the state agency will decide that you are disabled. If it does not, the
state agency goes on to step four.
4. Can you do the work you did before?
At this step, the state agency decides if your medical condition prevents
you from being able to do the work you did before. If it does not, the
state agency will decide that you are not disabled. If it does, the state
agency goes on to step five.
5. Can you do any other type of work?
If you cannot do the work you did in the past, the state agency looks
to see if you would be able to do other work. It evaluates your medical
condition, your age, education, past work experience and any skills you
may have that could be used to do other work. If you cannot do other work,
the state agency will decide that you are disabled. If you can do other
work, the state agency will decide that you are not disabled.
We will tell you our decision
When the state agency reaches a decision on your
case, we will send you a letter. If your application is approved, the
letter will show the amount of your benefit and when your payments start.
If your application is not approved, the letter will explain why and tell
you how to appeal the decision if you do not agree with it.
Special rules for blind people
There are a number of other special rules for
people who are blind. For more information, ask for our publication, If
You Are Blind Or Have Low Vision—How We Can Help (Publication
No. 05-10052)
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What happens
when my claim is approved? |
When
do my benefits start?
If your application is approved, your first Social
Security disability benefits will be paid for the sixth full month after
the date your disability began.
Here is an example: If the state agency decides your disability began
on January 15, your first disability benefit will be paid for the month
of July. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the
month for which they are due, so you will receive your July benefit in
August.
You also will receive the publication, What
You Need To Know When You Get Disability Benefits (Publication No.
05-10153), which gives you important information about your benefits and
tells you what changes you must report to us.
How much will my benefits be?
The amount of your monthly disability benefit
is based on your average lifetime earnings. The Social
Security Statement that you receive each year displays your lifetime
earnings and provides an estimate of your disability benefit. It also
includes estimates of retirement and survivors benefits that you or your
family may be eligible to receive in the future. If you do not have your
Social Security Statement and would
like an estimate of your disability benefit, you can request one from
our website at www.socialsecurity.gov or call
our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213.
Right to appeal
If you disagree with a decision made on your claim,
you can appeal it. The steps you can take are explained in the publication,
The Appeals Process (Publication
No. 05-10041), which is available from Social Security.
You have the right to be represented by an attorney or other qualified
person of your choice. More information is in the publication, Your
Right To Representation (Publication No. 05-10075), which
is also available from Social Security.
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Family benefits |
Certain members of your
family may qualify for benefits based on your work. They include:
- Your spouse, if he or she is 62 or older;
- Your spouse, at any age if he or she is caring
for a child of yours who is younger than age 16 or disabled;
- Your unmarried child, including an adopted
child, or, in some cases, a stepchild or grandchild. The child must
be under age 18 or under age 19 if in elementary or secondary school
full-time; and
- Your unmarried child, age 18 or older, if he
or she has a disability that started before age 22. (The child’s
disability also must meet the definition of disability for adults.)
NOTE:
In some situations, a divorced spouse may qualify for benefits based on
your earnings if he or she was married to you for at least 10 years, is
not currently married and is at least age 62. The money paid to a divorced
spouse does not reduce your benefit or any benefits due to your current
spouse or children.
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How do other payments affect
my benefits? |
If you are getting other
government benefits, the amount of your Social Security disability benefits
may be affected. For more information, you should see the following publications:
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Can I get Medicare? |
You will get Medicare
coverage automatically after you have received disability benefits for two
years. |
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Going back to work |
After you start receiving
disability benefits, you may want to try working again. There are special
rules that help you keep your cash benefits and Medicare while you test
your ability to work. We call these rules “work incentives”
or “employment support” programs.
For more information about helping you return to work, ask for the publication,
Working While Disabled—How We Can Help (Publication No.
05-10095). A guide to all our employment supports can be found in our
Red Book (Publication
No. 64-030). Also visit our website, www.socialsecurity.gov/work.
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The
Ticket to Work Program |
Under this
program, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability beneficiaries
can get help with training and other services they need to go to work
at no cost to them. Most beneficiaries will receive a
“ticket” that they can take to a provider of their choice
who can offer the kind of services they need. To learn more about this
program, ask for the publication Your Ticket
To Work (Publication No. 05-10061).
Social Security Administration
SSA Publication No. 05-10029
ICN 456000
Unit of Issue - HD (one hundred)
September 2004 (Recycle prior editions)
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