What are the different types of disability benefits available to workers?

What are the different types of disability benefits available to workers?

A disability benefit is a program that is managed under the Administration of social security which insures workers who go through a mishap. The disability insurance includes protection for income of the wounded because of which the disabled is unable to work for a certain period of time.

Types of Disability Benefits

There are different types of disability benefits provided to individuals, depending upon their condition. One of the popular programs is Social Security Disability, abbreviated as SSD. These benefits are only available to employees who have been paying the Social Security System over payroll deductions. Those who have paid at least 10 out of 20 work quarters with a minimum of part-time work before they were rendered disabled by some accident are eligible for SSD benefits. If an individual succeeds in the proceedings, he or she will be entitled to Medicare benefits for two years from the date of onset of disability.

Supplemental Security Income or SSI benefits cover those who are uninsured or those whose insured period expired long before they became disabled. These individuals are paid less than those who get SSD benefits and they also get Medicaid insurance upon qualification. SSI benefits also get reduced if there are relatives at home who are getting paid.

Additional benefits for minor children are also included in both SSD and SSI benefits. Recipients with minor children get up to $750 per month in addition to monthly benefits. Other benefits like Veterans Administration, State Workers’ Compensation and the federal Employees Retirement System counterbalance the SSD and SSI benefits. Someone who has been directly paying to the civil service retirement system or the Railroad Workers’ Retirement System will not be eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits.

If the employer has sponsored a group disability plan or if the individual himself has purchased a disability plan, he or she may be entitled to additional benefits from those additional resources. The eligibility criteria for these benefits may be mentioned in the policy documents. A duplicate of these documents can be received upon request at any time. A copy of these documents should be kept close all the time.

Policies mentioned in the documents require the individual, who has been covered by the disability plan, to apply for Social Security Disability upon filing a private benefit right. The benefits that the private policies are paying can counterbalance the benefits that the social security pays. This way, the covered person becomes accountable to pay for any overpayments due to retroactive payments from Social Security. The amount that is to be paid can be significant because of the extended delays of the Social Security Administration by rejecting claims and making applicant’s wait for court hearings.

Disability programs are quite complicated. An average person does not have enough knowledge regarding disability entitlements that can be received from various programs or from collaboration between different programs. Make sure you get in touch with an experienced SSD attorney or a law firm that has years of experience handling disability benefits cases to handle your case.