Social Security Disability Insurance: Your Safety Net

You might be eligible to get benefits for both you and certain people in your family if you are "insured." This means you worked long enough and paid taxes into the Social Security system. Your adult child may also be entitled to benefits under your earnings record if he or she has a disability that began before age 22. The law offices of Kassin and Carrow are happy to provide you with this helpful guidance.

Medical and other info will be collected whenever the government makes a determination about benefits. According to the U.S. Social Security Administration's website, a 20-year-old worker has a 30 percent chance of becoming disabled prior to reaching retirement age.

When determining if somebody is disabled, the federal government uses five questions:

Is the person employed? If you are working and your gross earnings are more than $1,010.00 per month, you usually cannot be considered disabled. If you are not working or your total earnings are below $1,010.00 monthly on account of a medical condition, then the SSA will proceed to the following question.

Would the condition that the individual is suffering from be considered "severe"? Your condition must interfere with basic work related activities for your claim to be considered. If your condition is not severe, then the SSA will not find you disabled. If your condition is serious, then the SSA will go to the next question.

Would the individual’s particular condition be located on the official standardized list of disabling conditions? The regulations list impairment for all of the major body systems that are so severe they immediately mean you're disabled. If your condition is not on the list, then the SSA has to decide if it's of equal seriousness to an impairment on the list. If your condition matches or equals one of the listed impairments, then the SSA will find that you are disabled. If your condition doesn't meet or equal one of the listed impairments, then the SSA will go to the following question.

Is the individual able to continue working the same way in which they did prior to being afflicted with the condition? If your condition is severe, but not at the same or equal severity as an ailment on the list then the SSA will have to determine if the condition intervenes with your ability to do the work that you did formerly. If your condition doesn't prevent you from doing your previous work, then the SSA will not find you disabled. If your condition inhibits you from performing your past work, then the SSA will go to the following question.

Is the person capable of getting some other means of a stable income? If you cannot do the work that you did previously, then the SSA decides if you are able to fully adjust to other work. The SSA views your medical conditions, your age, education, prior work experience, and any transferable skills that you might have obtained. If you can't adapt to other work, then the SSA will find you disabled.

When you withstand this maze of questions, the following are going to be available to you:

• You will be qualified to receive Medicare health insurance or Medicaid, dependent on the type of Social Security benefit
• You may receive annual cost of living increases
• You may receive tax advantages or receive your benefits tax-free
• You may shield any potential future Social Security benefits (with Retirement or Survivors benefits if eligible)
• You may qualify for vocational rehabilitation programs or work incentives to help you get back to work
• Your spouse or children may be qualified to receive benefits on your record

St. Louis, MO SSDI benefit seekers really should turn to the trustworthy law offices of Kassin and Carrow. They’ve got lots of experience ensuring that individuals with disabilities in Belleville, Granite City, Alton, Edwardsville, Arnold, St. Peters, and St. Louis, Missouri get the benefits they deserve.