Since it came into existence in the year 1935
after the President of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt,
signed the Social Security Act to tackle the issues of poverty, disability, old
age poverty, unemployment, children growing up in fatherless household, etc.,
Social Security scheme has undergone a number of amendments to include a number
of benefits and schemes to increase its coverage so that it may reach maximum
number of Americans. Social Security is officially known as the Old Age,
Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. The funds for Social
Security are collected from the payroll taxes levied on the working citizens
and which helps a number of people in the long term, though it put a lot of
financial constraint on the federal government.
Major Disability Benefits Available under the Social Security Program
The Social Security program is a multipurpose
scheme that helps individuals from all walks of life to stay financially strong
even during the most turbulent times in their lives. From unemployment to
retirement, it covers numerous aspects in life by providing financial support
in small instalments or in lump sum amounts, depending on the type of calamity
or personal hardship. You may have lost a loved one, especially if you have
suffered an accident that has caused you to become disabled; the Social
Security will cover all these tragedies and will make sure that you do not live
in dire poverty. If you have contributed towards the scheme, or otherwise as
well, you may be eligible to receive the Social Security benefits at times of
needs if you provide the required documents, proofs and are eligible under the
Social Security Act. Some of the different types of disability program are –
Disability Insurance Benefits
Also known as DIB as well as the Title II
Benefits, it is offered to the individuals who are not able to work or hold any
form of employment due to their physical or mental condition (impairment). If
their condition has been affected them for at least past 12 months or the
medical expert believes will last for 12 months and their earnings are less
than $900 per month (the amount increases every year keeping with the
inflammation and increase in the cost of living), then they are entitled to
receive the benefits under this program. Under the Social Security Act, such an
individual or the claimant should also have worked long enough and must have
contributed towards the Social Security through their FICA taxes to be eligible
for the benefits; the specified rule is that the person should have worked for
5 out of the 10 years and then will be insured for the DIB.
The amount that the claimant received under the program is directly related to
the amount of investment he has made towards the Social Security scheme while
being employed. The longer a person has worked and the higher amount of
earnings means more was paid into the program and hence the DIB benefits will
be bigger. The person also receives the retroactive benefits that go back one
year from the time of filing the application. When the person files for the DIB
benefits, he has to wait for at least 5 months to receive them. So to put in
simple terms, if you have been disabled and are not able to work because of it,
and 12 months have passed then you can file the application to receive DIB but
will have to wait for another 5 months to start receiving the payment.
Additionally, if your minor children are dependent on you, then you are also
eligible to receive the auxiliary benefits for the child’s care. For this, you
will have to provide the child’s Social Security number to the SSA authorities;
it does not matter if the child lives with you in your home or somewhere else,
either way, the child will get the auxiliary benefits under the DIB
Supplemental Security Income
Also called SSI or the Title 16 benefits, Supplemental
Security Income which provides aid to the individuals who have little
to no resources for their sustenance, hence it is labelled as a “need-based”
program. The basic eligibility criteria for SSI is the disability which has
existed for past 12 months or will exist for 1 months or more and acts as an
impediment towards gaining an employment. There are no 5 months of waiting
period as in DIB and the person starts receiving the benefits within the same
month of filing the application. But to be eligible for SSI, the household
income of the claimant should be below to the amount specified in SSA.
Disabled Adult Child
If an adult child is disabled and his or her
parents have passed away or are disabled themselves, then the child receives
the benefits. The main medical requirements to receive the benefits are that
your mental or physical impairment has rendered you incapable of working or
getting the employment that is sufficient to sustain you financially. Also, it
should have existed for the past 1 month or will continue to exist for the
total period of 12 months. You also need to have the proof that the disability
has existed before you turned 22. Along with this, your parents either should
be the beneficiary of DIB or have passed away and had the DIB insurance in
their name. Even if the claimant child has not worked, still they will receive
the benefits on their parents’ contribution towards the Social Security
Program.
Disabled Widow's or Widower's Benefits
If an individual is a disabled widow or the
widower aged 50 or more, then they may receive the Social Security benefits
based on their spouse’s (or erstwhile) Social Security insurance. The person
can claim the benefits off of their former spouse if they had been married for
a period of 10 years or more and the disability began before you turned 60 and
within the 7 years of the demise of the spouse. But if you were still married
to your partner, then the condition of being married for at least 10 years is
not needed to be met. To register for the benefit, you will have to submit the
proof of marriage like the certificate and also the divorce decree, in addition
to your partner’s death certificate
Summary
During the time of financial need due to any form
of disability, the Social Security Program will provide you with a strong
support and will make sure that neither you nor your spouse or minor children
may suffer because of financial crunch.
