The United States’ Social Security
Administration (SSA) pays certain individuals disability benefits. These
benefits are given to people who are unable to work due to a medical condition
that is expected to linger for at least one year or may result in death. As a
replacement for lost income, these benefits provide an important source of
financial support to people who need it the most.
This year, SSA paid an average disability
benefit of $1,200 each month. These payments make a huge difference in the
lives of people who can no longer meet their basic needs.
What are Disability
Benefits?
Throughout the years, the Disability Program
of the SSA has played a significant role in helping and supporting individuals
with disabilities. The disability program of the SSA is there to replace the
lost income of disabled workers and their dependents.
If you think you qualify for disability
benefits, you can go to the SSA office nearest you. If it is in the Social Security Office Peoria IL, then you can inquire and go through the
application process.
Who Can Apply For
Disability Benefits?
The Social Security Act defines disability
very strictly. To apply for and eventually receive disability, an applicant
must meet the definition of disability. Under the Social Security Act (ACT), a
person is considered disabled when their medical condition/s prevent them from
doing the type of work that they did in the past and also deters them from
adjusting to other kinds of work.
Aside from the requirement stated above, you
can also apply for disability benefits if you meet the following criteria:
·
You are 18 years old or older
·
You are currently not receiving benefits of any kind
·
You have not been denied disability benefits in the last 60 days (2
months)
Getting Disability
Benefits after 60 years old
Generally, getting a disability claim for
individuals who are 60 years old and older is much easier. It is even more
beneficial if you avail of disability benefits before full retirement age,
which is 66 years old. If you are unsure of this process, you can seek the help
of reputable law offices with attorneys that have
handled social security-related issues for many years. You need to make sure that they know the
process and are very familiar with how the system works.
If you are 60 to 65 years old, it is much
better to get disability benefits rather than taking early retirement. If you
are 62 years old and decide to take early retirement, your benefit amount will
be reduced permanently. However, if you were given disability benefits by the
age of 62, you will get the same amount when you reach full retirement age (66
years old). In other words, the retirement benefits that you will get will not
be reduced. This means that it is more financially viable to get social
security benefits at 62 years old until you reach full retirement age. Then,
you can use your full retirement benefit from age 66 and the rest of your life.
SSA Considerations for
Claimants 60 Years old or Older
Social Security Office Aurora or any other SSA office in the country
consult grids for claimants who are 60 years old or older. These applicants for
disability benefits take into account the fact that it may be more difficult
for older workers to transition into new places of work and learn new skills.
These grids take into account the following
elements:
-
Education
SSA divides education
levels into the following:
(1) 6th-grade education or less, (2) 7th
to 11th grades, (3) high school graduate, and (4) high school
graduate with training that could be applied for skilled work.
-
Residual Functional Capacity
This is the most physical
work that a claimant can perform regularly.
-
Transferable Skills
If you have what SSA
considers as transferable skills, you won’t be declared disabled based on the
grids.
-
Previous Work Experience
Social Security will look
into previous work experience to determine whether the claimant did skilled
work, semi-skilled work, on unskilled work.
Special Rules for Disability Over 50 years old
The rules governing disability benefits if
you’re over 50 years old are complicated and may require legal help. It is
important to understand these guidelines, though especially if you’re filing a
claim for Social Security Disability.
If you are a claimant with a disabling
condition who is over the age of 50, Social Security starts to take your age
into account in determining whether you can still do the sort of work that you
have performed in the past. In other words, it is easier to be regarded as “disabled”
if you are 50 years old and above. If you’re younger than 50, you will not be
determined disabled unless you really can’t perform any type of job available
in the national economy.
Reasons for Not
Qualifying for Social Security Disability Income
If you go to your local Kankakee Social Security office, apply for disability benefits and follow the process but
still get denied, here are several possible reasons why you may not qualify:
-
You need more work credits.
To qualify for benefits,
you need to earn 40 work credits minimum. This is equal to at least ten
consecutive years of working in the U.S. If you lack work credits, you won’t
qualify.
-
You are a legal immigrant but you don’t have enough credits.
We have established that
as a U.S. worker, you need 40 work credits to be eligible for the disability
program. However, the U.S. government
has an agreement with 26 countries including Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Greece,
South Korea, Australia, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and others. This totalization
agreement lets workers combine their work credits from these countries.
-
If you are a retired worker living in a certain country.
The U.S. government will
not remit payments if you are a retired worker living in countries such as
North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and others.
-
If you didn’t pay taxes.
If you do not file your
tax returns or pay Social Security taxes, you will not receive social security.
-
If you are an immigrant that’s over 65 years old.
You will not be approved
for disability benefits if you are an immigrant who is 65 years old and above.
If you
have other questions and concerns about applying for disability benefits when
you’re over 60 years old, you can seek the help of a social security disability
lawyer, like the experienced team at Hanson
& Fisher Law Office.
HANSON & FISHER LAW OFFICES
1802 N Division St Suite 304, Morris, IL
