What Is COLA, And How Will It Affect My Social Security Disability Benefits?
For people on Social Security Disability, Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA), is based on the Consumer Price Index. It is automatically adjusted each year to reflect increases to the cost of living.
Each year millions of Americans are faced with disabling conditions that prevent them from being able to work. The resulting lack of income can result in a serious financial crisis. Oftentimes the only way to make ends meet is by applying for Social Security Disability benefits. There are many conditions that qualify for disability benefits.
The best time to apply for Social Security Disability benefits is as soon as you are disabled. It is not always readily apparent when you are injured that your disability is going to be long term, and in order to qualify for Social Security Disability, your disability needs to be expected to last for a year or longer (unless it is believed that your disability will result in your death before a year is up, in which case you may qualify for a compassionate allowance and start receiving Social Security Disability benefits right away).
Five Ways to Avoid Social Security Disability Denial
When attempting to prove your disability for a Social Security Disability claim, the two most important professionals to have in your corner are your physician and a qualified Social Security Disability lawyer or representative. Your doctor’s reports are going to be looked at very closely when determining your eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits. A lawyer can help ensure that the right information is in your file where it needs to be for your claim to be accepted.
There are thousands of Social Security Disability advocates across the United States. What exactly is a Social Security Disability advocate? What do these individuals do? What is the difference between a Social Security Disability advocate and a Social Security Disability attorney?
Most importantly, should you use the services of a Social Security Disability advocate to help you with your Social Security Disability claim? Before you consider hiring a Social Security Disability advocate, read the information below to ensure you are making the correct decision.
There are several different reasons why a child under the age of 18 can receive Social Security Disability payments. Often, a child will receive SSI payments because his or her parents were disabled. When a disabled parent dies, the child is eligible for up to 75% of their parents’ Social Security Disability payments. These kinds of Social Security Disability payments are known as Title II benefits, and really have nothing to do with whether or not the child is disabled in any way.
The benefits are typically paid to the child’s caregiver and are intended to be used in caring for the child while he or she is still too young to adequately care for himself. Of course, in such cases, the child will only receive those benefits until he or she turns 18. In some cases, the benefits may extend to age 19 if the child is still in high school.
Other children receive Social Security Disability payments as a result of their own disabilities. This money is generally paid to the child’s guardian as well. The qualifications for receiving Social Security Disability benefits because of a childhood condition are constantly being reviewed and revised. Once a child qualifies, however, he will continue to qualify unless it can be shown that the disabling condition has improved significantly.
All Social Security Disability cases are reviewed periodically. Typically, these reviews (called Continuing Disability Reviews) occur every three years, though they may be scheduled more or less often depending on the nature and expected duration of the disability. Children who reach adulthood (turn 18) always have a continuing disability review.
One of the reasons for this is because the Social Security Administration (SSA) has a different set of requirements for Social Security Disability for adults than it has for children. One of the most common examples is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). This condition often qualifies children for Social Security Disability (though the requirements are a lot tougher for hyperactivity now than they were previously), but it does not generally qualify an adult to receive Social Security Disability. In such cases, it is common for a child to lose Social Security Disability benefits after he or she turns 18 years old.
When you turn 18, you will be assessed according to the current standards for adults. If you are not sure if you (or your child) will continue to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, you should consider seeking the advice of a lawyer who is familiar with Social Security Disability law.
It is worth pointing out that you may also qualify for Social Security Disability benefits at age 18 which you had not qualified for before. The most notable example of this is Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Since SSI is based upon income, many children with disabilities do not qualify (because their parents make too much money). However, when you turn 18, you may become eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
In short, you will stop receiving Title II benefits (unless you’re in school, in which case you ma receive them until you are 19). Your own disabilities will be reviewed to determine whether they meet the adult criteria for receiving Social Security Disability benefits.
If you have a child who receives Social Security Disability payments because of her own disability and she is approaching her 18th birthday, you should consider contacting a disability lawyer to see if you he or she would still be eligible for disability benefits.
The Compassionate Allowance Initiative was a program begun in 2008 to expedite the application process for Social Security Disability claims for those who are obviously qualified to receive Social Security Disability benefits. The program originally listed 50 conditions which qualified applicants to qualify for Compassionate Allowance. Most of these conditions were rare diseases, certain aggressive forms of cancer, and dementia-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease(particularly early-onset Alzheimer’s).
Some Social Security Disability beneficiaries have to file federal income taxes on their Social Security Disability benefits, while others do not. Generally speaking, if Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is your only sources of income, you will not have to file any federal income taxes on your Social Security Disability benefits.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal government program designed to protect workers against the loss of ability to earn an income due to complete disability. To apply for SSDI, your condition must meet the SSA's disability requirements and you needed to have earned enough work credits.
It is compulsory that all employees and employers contribute to the program. Both the workers and employers pay into the program through the FICA tax.
