Applying for Disability Benefits
- Many companies offer short- and long-term disability benefits to employees. Benefits range from a partial weekly salary to full salary. Applying for company-provided benefits typically involves signing a release for the medical care providers to communicate with the company and coordinate the extent of disability, anticipated length of disability and whether light duty will be required when the employee returns. The company will send paperwork to the doctor or have you bring forms to your appointments to be completed. The company policy determines how long your benefits last. If you are still disabled when the benefits are exhausted you can apply for disability insurance through the Social Security Administration.
- You must be 100 percent disabled, as determined by the Social Security Administration, to qualify for disability. Once you are declared disabled and begin to receive benefits, if you begin working again, even part-time, you will be disqualified from receiving any more disability income. The exception to this is when your disability is due to mental illness. You are allowed to attempt working, at which time your disability stops, but if your mental illness causes you to stop working again, your benefits can be restarted without going through the entire application process.
- In addition to being totally disabled, you must have have worked during enough quarters before the disability to qualify for benefits. In general, your employment life before the disability is divided into quarters and the number of quarters leading to the disability event are counted. For example, if you become disabled before turning 24 years old, you need to have worked for 1-1/2 years in the three years immediately preceding the disability event. For benefits on a disability occurring after the age of 31, you must have worked a minimum of half of the years between the ages of 24 and 31.
- Disability applications are accepted either online (see Resources) or by telephone.Follow the directions for the application process. Your application will be used to determine eligibility. If there are questions that need to be answered, or additional information provided you will be asked to come into a local Social Security office.
- To apply by telephone call 1-800-772-1213. A representative will schedule a telephone interview for you at a later date. The phone interview lasts approximately an hour. You will be sent a kit before the interview detailing the information and documents you will need during the interview.
- Once you have applied, you will wait until the Social Security Administration makes a decision about whether you are disabled and should be allowed to collect benefits. The decision can take several weeks to many months. The decision process includes gathering information from your health-care providers about your disability. Questions are asked about your current and future ability to sit, stand, use tools, focus and perform. The questions do not pertain just to the profession you were in before becoming disabled, but also consider the possibility of your working in another field. You are notified of the decision, and if you have qualified, your benefits will begin.
- States provide short-term disability for employees whose companies do not have a self-insured program. The state application process is similar to the Social Security process, but is not as strict. In most cases you will be allowed to collect even if working as long as your income is not more than the disability benefit. You will be provided with an amount you can earn each month before your benefits are affected. Your employer will provide you with contact information for the state agency you need to see in the event of a disability. Once you have been disabled for a year you will be required to apply to the Social Security Administration office for long-term or permanent disability.
