Posted by fallsfall on December 30, 2003, at 16:53:36
In reply to Disability? I have questions » fallsfall, posted by Emme on December 29, 2003, at 21:54:40
Disability is for people who can't work due to medical issues.
Going on Disability can help because then you have some income and don't have to survive the stress of working just to live. It can HURT because if you, like me and lots of other people, determine a significant portion of your self worth from your occupation it can make you MORE depressed to be on disability. This is a fine line to tread - your doctor should be able to talk to you about this. Going out of work is an emotionally traumatic thing. But, if being at work is making you sicker, then you might not have a choice.
There are different kinds of disability insurance.
I had a Long Term Disability plan at my work (and also a Short Term Disability plan). If you ever are asked if you want these - SAY YES. They usually are quite inexpensive to buy, but they are really helpful if you can't work.
My Short Term Disability covered the first 3 months I was out (I think it started at 100% of my salary and then went down to 80% of my salary). After 3 months Long Term Disability kicked in (this pays me 60% of what my salary was at the time that I was disabled).
The insurance company required me to fill out forms and have my doctors fill out forms to "prove" that I was disabled. I have found that if the therapist is a PhD (or equivalent) that they can do the forms, but if they are a MSW then you would need your general doctor or pdoc to fill out the forms. The question that the insurance company wants answered is "Can you work?". If you are finding it really hard to get to work, and that you can't function when you do get there then you MIGHT qualify. They are pretty strict about what it means to not be able to work.
The problem I have with LTD is that the policies I have had only cover Mental Illnesses for 2 years (whereas "physical" illnesses are covered until 65). While health insurance policies (at least in my state, and I think the USA now) have to treat "biological" illnesses (such as depression, bipolar, and others) the same as physical illnesses, LTD doesn't. First, LTD is considered a different kind of insurance and the biological/physical ruling applies only to Health insurance. Second, the policies I have had specifically list the "biological mental illnesses", call them "mental illnesses", and say they will only be covered for 2 years. UGH.
The second kind of disability insurance is SSDI or SSI. Almondjoy gave you the Social Security web site and I think she was generally talking about SSI. I get SSDI (not SSI), so I can tell you about that.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work/ResourcesToolkit/redbook.html has a good description of both SSI and SSDI.SSDI is payed out of the Social Security fund. Social Security is set up so that the amount that you get (either as a retiree, or as someone who is disabled) is based on how much money you have contributed to Social Security (also known as FICA) in your lifetime. If you haven't worked very many years (either because you are young, or because you took time off for any reason), or if you didn't make very much money when you were working, then SSDI won't pay you very much. If you have worked only a few years you may not be eligible for anything. The Social Security office can tell you what you would be eligible for if you qualify. (or you can send me an email and we can trade information - I might be able to tell if it would be worth your while... Babble fallsfall at hotmail.com) My SSDI income is enough to live on (though not in the manner to which I have become accustomed...) You can also get SSDI money for your dependent children when you are disabled.
SSI is for disabled people with limited income. The amount SSI pays is not based on your social security contributions.
SSDI won't start paying until you have been disabled for 5 months. They won't pay at all unless your doctor believes that you will be disabled for 12 months or more (or unless you have already been out of work for 12 months due to your disability). So, the first 5 months are not paid at all. The application process can take a long time (6 months, I think). So what happens is that if you stop working and apply immediately you find out if you have been accepted 6 months later and they give you one month retroactively. I THINK that the date they start with is the date of your disability, but it MAY be the date that you APPLY - I'm not quite sure.
I, too, have heard that many people are denied when they first apply. I was accepted on my first application and I know at least one other person who was, as well. But if you are denied, it is worth pursuing the appeal process.
You can work as long as you make less than their maximum ($580 a month as of 2004) and keep the money. Any month that you make more than $580 is called a "trial work" month. You can only have 9 trial work months in 60 consecutive months. After that, if you make more than $800 a month they figure you can work and they will stop your benefits. You can have as many months as you want at the under $580 level.
There are annual cost of living raises. If you do work and contribute to FICA while receiving SSDI, they periodically will give you credit for whatever wages you earned and give you more SSDI money.
My LTD requires me to apply for SSDI and then deducts what I get from SSDI from what they will give me. So right now I am getting 60% of my salary - but some of it comes from SSDI and some from LTD. When I get past the 2 year mark for LTD, then I will get just the SSDI part (which is a bunch less than 60% of my salary).
There are rules about if you return to work and become disabled again for the same reason within a period of time. I went back to work for 2 years and then went back out again, and I didn't have to go the 5 months without SSDI again.
Periodically they ask you and your doctors to fill out a bunch of forms to see if you are still disabled.
I don't do the medicare (you don't qualify for that until you have been out for 2 years on SSDI, I believe, anyway) because I COBRA from my old company (or could use my husband's health insurance). I believe that the prescription drug stuff that has been in the news would work for people on Medicare through SSDI. You have to make a contribution if you want Medicare B.
Other questions?
poster:fallsfall
thread:294449
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20031229/msgs/294791.html