People with disabled children need extra income. Although they may be receiving aid from Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), there’s never enough to go around. With some medications costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month, and with Social Security’s benefits being based on income, the idea of helping your disabled teen achieve a work or education goal may seem impossible.
If you are disabled and unable to work, you may have heard both good and bad things about Social Security’s disability benefits. The first thing you should know is that if you are an American citizen who has worked and paid taxes in this country, you have been making Social Security insurance payments with every paycheck. Assuming you have worked long enough to qualify for disability benefits and if you are disabled to the point that you can no longer work, you are entitled to Social Security disability benefits.
Families with children who become disabled prior to age 18 with severe mental and physical disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, autism, or mental retardation, may be eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) and/or Social Security Income Benefits (SSI) on behalf of that child. To qualify for disability benefits, your child’s disability must be so severe that he or she suffers “marked and severe” functional limitations.
The process you encounter when you decide to apply for Social Security disability benefits may seem confusing at first. When should you apply for disability benefits? Who do you see first? What do you do first? Do you need a Social Security disability lawyer to help you get disability benefits or can you make an appointment on your own? Can you work while you are waiting for your appointment?
In a political climate unlikely to throw it a 75th birthday party, the Social Security Administration has taken charge of its own festivities. Its website features a page dedicated to this anniversary year. Titled Social Security Celebrates 75 Years of Public Service, it features a history of the agency and stories from grateful recipients.
When considering whether or not to hire a professional to assist you when you file for Social Security disability benefits, you may wonder what sort of person has the necessary experience, what they can do for you, what they will charge to assist you, and whether or not their help is worth what they charge.
One of the decisions you must make when you apply for Social Security disability benefits is whether or not to be represented by a qualified Social Security disability attorney or other professional, or whether to file for disability benefits on your own. Although the official Social Security Administration (SSA) publication 05-10029 attempts to explain the process of applying for disability benefits in a straightforward manner, it is immediately apparent from reading this publication that the amount of information needed to present a case can seem overwhelming.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has been the focus of quite a hue and cry from Congress, policymakers, and newsmakers from across the country over the past year. Those looking for reasons to cut funding to this bastion of the country’s national social services programs call Social Security (including OASDI, SSI, and SSDI) everything from an outdated notion of an entitlement state to a Ponzi scheme. Those looking for ways to preserve America’s 75-year old social services safety net call it the "bedrock of American retirement security".
With all the noise about Social Security disability reform being generated in Washington and elsewhere, especially among those running for re-election, reports of Social Security disability fraud in the millions of dollars, and with a substantial increase in funds set aside to fund case reviews and investigations, Social Security disability recipients may feel anxious about the status of their cases and the security of their disability payments.
