Throughout your working years you pay into the Social Security system. When you retire you should be able to benefit from the funds you have paid into the system for all those years. If, however, you become disabled prior to retirement age, you may also be entitled to benefits from the Social Security Administration, or SSA. In fact, your spouse and children may also qualify for benefits based on your approval.
Disability can strike anyone at any time. A catastrophic car or workplace accident, a serious illness, or a debilitating disease could render you disabled long before the age at which you planned to retire. If you have minor children, the sudden inability to work will impact not just you, but also your children and your ability to support them. Fortunately, in the United States there are federal programs that may be able to help. Both the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs provide financial benefits to eligible individuals facing a disability that prevents them from working.
Both the SSI and the SSDI program require you to meet the SSA’s definition of disabled, meaning your disability must have already lasted more than a year or must be expected to last a year or longer or result in death. The SSI program then looks at your income and assets. If you do not exceed the income and asset limits, and meet all other program guidelines, you will qualify for benefits at a set monthly rate.
The SSDI program, on the other hand, is not concerned with income and asset limits but with your prior work history. You must have earned enough “work credits” over the course of your life to qualify for SSDI benefits. If you qualify, the amount of your monthly benefit will be determined, in part, by how much you have paid into the SSA.
If you are approved for SSI your children will not receive anything additional; however, if you are approved for SSDI benefits, your dependent children may also qualify for monthly benefits based on your eligibility. To qualify, the child must be unmarried and be:
- Your child or grandchild
- Your biological, adopted, or step-child
- under age 18 OR
- 18-19 years old and a full-time student (no higher than grade 12) OR
- 18 or older and have a disability that started before age 22.
The amount of a dependent child’s monthly benefit is calculated as a portion of your benefit.
If you believe you and your children are entitled to SSDI benefits, contact an experienced Michigan disability benefits attorney right away to get your application started.
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