If you are living with a disability, you could be entitled to lifelong financial support. Around 61 million adults are disabled in America today, totaling one in four adults across the nation. As a disabled person, you can access a range of Social Security benefits and additional funding to help you manage. You can also access funding and relief to help cover the costs of medical care arising from your disability. But how do you qualify for national disability benefits? Read this guide to find out.
1. Understand Your Condition
First off, you need to make sure your disability counts as a qualifying condition for national benefit life disability. The Social Security Administration maintains an extensive list of qualifying conditions that it uses to assess eligibility for national benefit life disability insurance and support. It is important that your condition clearly is severe enough to prevent you from working in meaningful employment. Make sure to consult the list to see if your condition is on there.
2. Check the Income Requirements for National Disability Benefits
If you are looking to receive monthly social security payments, you must first meet the SSA’s income requirements. These are used to determine whether you are able to work and earn enough to support yourself without additional help. In 2021, anyone who earns more than $1,310 a month cannot be considered disabled. In addition, you also need to have earned enough and made enough work credits in the years before you became disabled in order to qualify. The number of credits you need will also depend on your age.
3. Consult Your Insurance Policy
SSA benefits are not your only option for disability support. You can also consult your disability policy, or look to take one out if you anticipate disabling conditions in the future (or if you don’t). There are many benefits to taking out a comprehensive disability insurance policy today. For example, this national disability benefits org offers no exam disability insurance, which allows you to receive support without the need for a medical exam. Always explore your options before applying to the SSA.
4. Talk To a Doctor
If you are looking to receive support from Social Security, you need a medical examination and certificate which proves you are too disabled to work. For this, you should consult your doctor and seek a specialist referral. A specialist will assess your disability and provide an honest assessment of your condition. You can then show this to your Social Security officer, who can take it into account when deciding on your application.
5. File Your Application
Once you have completed these steps, it is time to file. You can do this by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (or TTY 1-800-325-0778 if you are hard of hearing). They will then book the next available appointment for you at your nearest center. Once you have filed your application and provided your medical evidence and income documents, the only thing to do is to wait.
Your Health Questions, Answered
Understanding how to qualify for national disability benefits is essential for disabled people to make empowered decisions about their health and wellbeing. For more practical advice on everyday health questions, we have got you covered. Make sure to consult our Health column for up-to-date guidance on the questions that matter to you.
