In the article
What is SSDI?
We are living in a very competitive world and know very well that to survive we need to apply our full potential or we won’t make it. However, our bodies have a threshold and we cannot push them over it. With the increase in the number of technologies and advancements in the field of medicines, our lives are becoming more comfortable and their longevity is also extended. But with all the advantages there comes some disadvantages as well.
We can agree upon one thing that our immunity system is not as well as of our forefathers and this low level of immunity makes us succumb to the normal diseases and infections. This trend increases with our age and eventually, we become fully dependent on medicines and in some unfortunate cases disable. It might sound a little far-fetched but it’s the fact that a study has found that 25% of the working generation today will succumb to various disabilities before they hit the retirement age.
Now, this becomes a worrisome problem and you are wondering what to plan for the future now as you have already got enough on your plate and when you throw in disability with them the matters get more complex. Thankfully, you do not have to worry much about them. That’s exactly where the concept of SSDI comes in.
The SSDI is an abbreviation for Social Security Disability Insurance and it is provided to people who have disabilities and are under the age cap of 65, which is the retirement age. The person should have sufficient work credits to avail of this pension plan. It’s needless o say that this is very helpful and important for people who have unfortunately become victims of some kind of disability before the retirement age.
Things to know about SSDI
So we have got the basic definition of what SSDI is and what it entails but that’s not enough. There are some important factors that you need to know before you can apply for an Social Security Disability Insurance for yourself or someone you know. So given below are the important facts that you need to know about the SSDI. The facts are as follows:
SSI vs SSDI
Two programs sound very similar and that is SSDI and SSI. One we already know and the latter one stands for Supplemental Security Income. SSDI is a program that is set to cover an individual if they become disabled due to some reason before they hit the retirement age and compensate them for the lost income. On the other hand, the SSI is fully dependent on the individual’s financial needs and doesn’t have anything to do about the person’s work credit.
SSDI Eligibility Criteria
We have been talking about work credits that simply means that you need to satisfy some criteria to be eligible for availing this plan. The criteria are for testing the income and working level of the individual. First of all, you need to be an employee of a job that is covered under social security. If you become disabled before the age of 28 then 1.5 years of work experience is needed and the same of 9.5 years is needed if you become disabled at the age of 60. Another requirement is that you need to have worked for at least half the period before you became disabled, and that period will depend on your age. The disability must render you completely unable to work as there are no partial disability facilities offered by the program.
Social Security Disability Insurance Amount
This is an important thing as we need to know about the amount that will be paid to you if you are covered by the SSDI. This is also done based on your work income that you won’t be able to continue due to the disability. The amount received as the pension from the SSDI is a little lower than what you would have normally gotten if you would have worked up to your retirement age and that’s understandable as our work income increases with our age.
SSDI Application process
The process is quite easy for applying under SSDI but is a little complex than the normal retirement benefits applications we make. There are some documents that you need to possess to apply for the SSDI. The documents you need are:
- Social security number
- Birth certificate
- Medical information about your treatment
- Work history
- The recent W-2 or tax return
when all the forms are filled our doctor might also need to fill some forms about the medical condition of you. After then that form will be processed by the Social Security Disability Insurance committee and ultimately they will decide if you are certified to be deemed disable or not. This is a lengthy process and takes 3 to 5 months at the least.
SSDI Benefits
The SSDI benefits are not limited to your family members. Some of your family members are also eligible to receive benefits from your SSDI. The family members that are eligible for benefits are:
Spouse if they are 62 years old at the least
Spouse of any age if they care about your child who is disabled or under 16 years of age
Any child who is below the age of 19
Disabled child under the age of 22 if the disability started after the age of 18.
Early SSDI medicare
Generally, an individual is eligible to receive medicare after the age of 65, but if you have an SSDI and are receiving a pension from it then you are eligible to receive Medicare after 2 years of consuming SSDI pension amount. If you have some additional serious health issues then you can qualify sooner.
Disability income insurance
The amount received under the SSDI is based on your work performance and then also it is just a retirement pension amount and you can find it insufficient for your household expenses and so it is recommended that you also avail disability insurance.
