Social Security Questions and Answers

Hi Ranger Mom,



Do you have Private disability insurance (through work) as well.. on top of Social Security Disabilty? What is LTD?



My apologies, but I am newly diagnosed and trying to assimilate all info. Thank you in advance.

Sure Teena, this discussion board is how I learned how to go about filing.  I do have private insurace from my company. I had been on short term disability (STD) and that is running out this Sept. 12. I also have long term disability through my comapny (LTD) and I just finished my paperwork application and waiting on approval.  My insurance company requires that I also file for social security disability when I file for the LTD. I filed 2 weeks ago using the on line SSDI disability application. It wasn't too hard. Luckily, the following week I got notification that my SSDI (social security disability insurnace) was approved!  Now I'm just waiting on hearing that my LTD is approved.  I will collect on both as I earn more on the LTD than the SSDI.  The insurance provider will deduct the amount of SSDI money and pay me the difference (as my LTD is higher/more pay than the SSDI).  Hope this makese sense.  If you haven't done already, to the goverment website (there is a link several places in this board) and set up your own My Social Security account.  Then go to the File for Disability and complete the application.  I am not able to collect my pension at this time as it would be considered income and the private insurance people would just deduct that from my LTD. So I'll wait on that till LTD is done when I turn 65.  I'm 58 right now.  My SSDI payout is the payout I would have received at age 65.  If you open your own My Social security account, it will show you what your disability payout would be.  Let me know if you have any other questions. 

Linda

Rangermom ... when you let your LTD know you are already approved for Soc Sec Disability, I believe it's an automatic approval - could be wrong. 

Thanks for clarifying, Chickadee.

I confess I havent read this whole thread-

I looked on the SS website and it seems like they dont approve unless you will be off work 12 months?  I qualify for std from work- but they automatically knock the payment down at 5 months as they consider that ss disability would kick in then - whether you apply or not! So if I get say $500 from work disabality and they think ss would pay me 400 , they drop my check to 100 automatically.

But if I am only going to be off say 6,7 months, or to get thru chemo and treatment- I wont qualify for ss disablity (less than 12 months)... does that sound right /// or even worth applying?

yeah we have fmla- Im buring thru 5 weeks of it now, worried if I go on std thru my work- that would probably finish up the fmla.  But my disability starts dropping the amount after 5months- as you have to apply for social sec disability... but I think if its denied, the work disability retro goes back up to the full (50%) amount.

I think Id be ok too being covered by the ADA- its reasonable (I think!) to need days off even unpaid if its due to cancer treatment/recovery.  Im going to call the ACS tomorrow and ask a few questions.

Sap,

Jumping in here...IF you can document depression/anxiety disorders caused from all, appointments to therapists/counselors for depression. .that show significant impairment (see the qualifications under that heading), you might be able to get SSI for that. But, might be beneficial to hire a SSI attorney/advocate. 

V

Thank you Chickadee for the response. I was just wondering if anyone on this site has used an SSDI attorney for CDR before and is willing to share info, I would truly appreciate!!

SAP,

I HAVE... but concerning Supplemental SS. Doesn't matter...if I can help I will...I had a great SSI attorney. ..;) Wish I would've had someone to help me at the time. .is a frustrating laborious process....

Violet

My sister qualified for disability based on her neuropathy.  The first thing to do is go to a neurologist, if you haven't already.  There are tests that can be done to determine if it will be permanent or not, and how much the nerves are damaged.

6 weeks is not that long. It can take 3-4 months or longer for it to get better.

Also, you have to remember for ssdi, it is your ability to do any job, not just your job you have now. It was hard for my sister to get approved and her neuropathy is severe, she can barely walk .

Wanna: I live in CA and used CA short term disability twice and for the same illness.

I hope this makes sense: I believe she can apply for it again when she needs to but how much money she gets will depend on how much money she has earned in total over the last twelve months as well as how much in her highest paid quarter of that twelve month period.

For example (I'll use my experience):

I returned to work in April 2012 after using CA STD for eleven months. After six months at work, I couldn't do it anymore so I went out on medical leave Oct. 1 and applied for CA STD. Since my claim began on Oct. 1, the "look back" period that they used to determine the 12 months of income was July 2011 through June 2012. Therefore, my income from April through June 30, 2012 was used. Since I only had income during this three month period, this was also the "highest paid quarter" and, as such, was used to determine the amount of my weekly disability benefits. Also, keep in mind that they only pay out UP TO the amount of income that has accrued during the look back period. So, even though you should get payments for 12 months, if you don't have that much total income paid in during that period, your benefits will only be paid out until you reach the maximum income earned during that period. For me, this meant that my benefits ended earlier since I was paid out the total amount of earned income I had accrued during that period...about six months.

You can find out more information here:

http://www.edd.ca.gov/Disability/DI_Benefit_Amounts.htm

Thanks SuperFoob, I'll let her know.  So far, she's feeling pretty great, and her new job is in an office, not restaurant, so even if she starts reconstruction, she probably won't have to stop working, just take it easy for a while.  As long as she can build up another long stretch of work, she should be ok if/when she has to go back on chemo.

Starella,

You should check out the numbers with an expert, but from what I've read it's generally best for the lower income spouse to start collecting at 62. The higher income spouse can claim at full retirement age and then suspend while the lower income applies for spousal benefits. Then the upper income spouse can wait until 70 to collect while his benefits increase by 8% each year.  You would need to have other income to replace his SS income from full retirement age until 70, but it's like buying an inflation-adjusted annuity for less than you could in the private market. In my case, I asked about SS at 62 and discovered I was eligible for disability, which was backdated to 5 months after my stage IV diagnosis. My husband applied and suspended this January at 66 and I then applied for spousal benefits, which gave me an additional $440 (the amount you're already receiving is subtracted from the spousal benefit to calculate the extra). Your spousal benefit is a maximum of half your spouse's benefit at full retirement, with reductions for the age when you first started receiving benefits, but your survivor benefit is the full amount at 70. This method maximizes your total benefit as long as one of you lives past age 82.