Who Is Eligible for Social Security Benefits?
03/21/09
Q: If a person is currently unable to work due to injury, can he receive social security benefits?
A: There are several criteria that determine whether or not an injury makes a person eligible for social security benefits. When you were injured, you had to have been in the workforce and covered by insurance. You must have been employed for five out of the previous ten years as a mimimum. It is required that your job was covered by Social Security. You must be younger than the retirement age in order to receive social security benefits via the disability program. Last, but not least, your injury needs to be such that you will not be able to join the workforce again for a minimum of 12 months. There are no benefits via social security for a worker who will only be out of work for a few months due to his injury.
Q: When will social security benefits stop?
A: Until the injury has improved enough to allow a person to reenter the workforce, he will receive social security benefits. In that case, the benefits would continue until the second month after the medical condition had ended. Social security benefits would also end if a person reaches retirement age and is eligible for retirement benefits. Disability benefits would be converted to retirement benefits. Your file will be evaluated regularly in order to verify the status of your injury. You do not, however, need to reapply for disability benefits, if the status of your injury and employment has not changed.
If a person has been notified of approval, when will he receive his first payment for social security benefits?
A: According to law, an individual cannot receive social security benefits until he has been injured and unable to work for at least five months. Payments will usually begin the sixth month. If you have applied, but have not yet received notification for approval, the processing time can vary. The thing that usually affects how long it takes to process an application is the wait for medical records. If it takes a while to receive requested medical records, the disability examiner assigned to your case must wait until he receives them to approve or your deny your application. Most applications are reviewed and the claimant notified of a decision within four months.