Social Security Benefits: Working While on Disability
Posted 08/29/09
Social security regulations are labyrinthine, and working out which social security benefits you are allowed to receive can be challenging. To smooth the process, here are answers to some of disability applicants' most common questions.SSA is only for people whose disability is complete and who have been disabled (or are expected to be disabled) for one year or more, so there are no partial disability social security benefits. If you wish to file for partial disability, you will need to do so through a state or local program. You will still be able to receive state and local disability benefits if SSA denies your application because you are not completely disabled.
However, if you are disabled but able to work for short periods or at a low level, you may be able to continue working while receiving social security benefits. When you apply for disability, the state agency in charge of your case will assess your total earning capacity. If you can still work but your maximum possible income falls below a certain amount, you can still collect disability benefits. The agency will measure your total POTENTIAL earnings, not your total REAL earnings: If you could earn more than the cutoff level of income by doing a different job (assuming that there is another job you are physically able to handle and have the training to perform), then you will not be eligible for social security benefits. You will not be pressured to do work you are not able to perform. The state agency will consider your experience, education, medical condition, and even age when evaluating your ability to change jobs. Help is available for applicants who need assistance at moving from a lower paying job to a job that would enable them to support themselves.
Many applicants are confused and annoyed by their social security agents' request to continue seeing doctors even after they have doctors' statements that there is no available medical treatment for the applicant's condition. If you are in this position, there is an explanation! First, the state agency in charge of your social security benefits may need more information to evaluate your case, and your regular doctors may not have the equipment or experience necessary to provide it. The agency may arrange for you to see another doctor. The visit is not for treatment; it is simply part of your case evaluation.
Second, disability is not always permanent, and even untreatable conditions can improve. Regular examinations to chart the progress of your health are essential. Even without treatment, your condition may improve enough to allow you to return to work.
And third, medicine brings new miracles every year. Why miss out on a cure because you stopped going to the doctor out of resignation? It is a small nuisance compared to the huge lifestyle benefits you could reap.