When people talk about Social Security, they are often talking about the benefits you get when you reach the designated age of retirement. This age of retirement is determined by the year in which you were born, because Congress has raised the retirement age on sliding scale several times over the years as way to save money on the program, which is often running short of funds.
The SSDI program is the program that is typically used for a worker who becomes disabled by an injury or illness that is not work related and prevents that person from being able to work. While it may seem easy to apply for SSDI benefits, the system is very much set up in a way that decks are again stacked against the claimant, again, as a way to save money, so it is best to speak with an experienced Boston Social Security disability lawyer before filing a claim for benefits.
One of the questions people often ask is whether applying for and receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits will ultimately reduce the amount of benefits a person will receive when they are old enough to retire under the Old Age and Retirement program. This issue was recently discussed in a news feature from Chron.
As discussed in that article, a worker becomes eligible to receive SSDI benefits by working a certain number of years prior to becoming disabled. When you work long enough, it is said that you have earned enough quarterly credits to qualify for benefits. This number of credits is also determined by your age. A younger person is not expected to have worked the the same number of years as an older person based upon the time of disability.
When you become disabled and apply for benefits, if you are successful and ultimately obtain those Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and are paid the full monthly benefit, you will be paid what is the same as the full monthly benefit for old age and retirement benefits if you were old enough to receive Social Security Old Age and Retirement benefits. When you get old enough to age into the retirement system, you will automatically be converted from SSDI benefits to retirement benefits and should not even notice a change in your monthly amount.
As noted in the article, many people think that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are some type of entitled program like welfare. The reason people think that is because many politicians make this argument when trying to cut benefits. In reality, this could not be further from the truth. The vast majority of people on disability benefits worked hard for many years and are in desperate need of benefits to pay their bills.
If you or a loved one is seeking Social Security Disability Insurance in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Social security and you: Disability benefits won’t reduce your retirement payments, July 14, 2016, Chron, By News Staff
More Blog Entries:
Who is Getting the Most from Social Security Disability? July 2, 2016, Boston SSDI Lawyer Blog