Ever since Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935, the program has come a long way. It’s safe to say that if you’re like most people, after reading this article you’ll realize there are things you didn’t know about Social Security. The story of Social Security Disability Insurance is not of a few workers who have benefited from the program. The truth is that almost every American that contributes towards the system to has a safety net for the future.
Cut to the present. Even though the Social Security Disability Insurance program has become increasingly popular with the passage of time amongst the American people, there are still several facets of the program that American citizens are not aware of.
The Social Security Program Is Bigger than Most Countries
Economically – the above statement is true. For the last 20 years, the Social Security program has been the single biggest element of the federal government’s annual budget. How big? Bigger than the 16 richest countries in the world! Since the 1937 up until 2007 – the Social Security program has managed to collect $13.7 trillion income for the U.S government, while $10.6 trillion of this money has been given out as payments to the American people.
Fact: The first-ever beneficiary of the program was Ida May Fuller. Her initial payment when she joined the program was $22.54 for a single month and this continued for 35 years.
It’s More Than a Retirement Program
Originally, the Social Security program paid out benefits only to retired workers. Later, as the program began to expand, women and children were included in the program, too. This meant that the beneficiaries’ family would get a share in the benefits, too.
This also means that the moment you get married, you and your children are covered for life, as well. However, with that being said, this also depends on you working a job that is covered by Social Security. Not every job is covered by Social Security, so if you want Social Security benefits – make sure you choose a job that is covered by the Social Security Administration.
6.2 Percent Of Your Income Goes Towards the System
Almost every American (94 percent) pays 6.2 percent of their income towards the program. However, there’s also an upper limit of this program. If you’ve paid up to $106,800 annually towards the program you won’t have to pay more. Your employer will also pay the same amount towards Social Security. If a person is self-employed and runs their own business, then they’ll have to contribute 12.4 percent of their income towards the Social Security program.
The SSA Has a Blue Book
The decision of receiving disability payments depends on your case and the severity of your disability. Even if you have a serious disability, you can only receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits if your condition is long-term. According to the SSA, a long-term disabling condition must last for at least a year. However, even if a condition is considered long-term, it still must be severe enough to qualify for disability benefits.
After applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, many times you may have to appear at a disability assessment center for an evaluation. Not only do you need to have a disease that qualifies you for disability insurance, you also need to demonstrate the required symptoms for that disease. However, if your condition is severe enough and is listed in the “Blue Book”, then you can be awarded disability benefits even more quickly. The Blue Book is a listing of impairments that lists all of the conditions that qualify for disability benefits nearly instantly. Even if your condition is listed in the Blue Book, you’ll still typically have to wait 90 to 120 days for the first payment to arrive. To learn more about your rights under the Social Security Disability laws, call our FREE Disability Hotline at 1-866-4-MY-SSDI (469-7734) to speak with one of our friendly disability rights advocates who will evaluate your claim in 60 seconds. Alternatively, you can fill out our FREE Disability Case Assessment form and one of our representatives will contact you immediately.
Wrapping Up
If you are disabled and your long-term disability is a hindrance in your ability to work and make a living for your family, you should think of applying for disability benefits. Your disability attorney will collect the documents you need and start preparing your claim. Don’t take the risk of doing it all alone!
Here at Kahn and Associates we take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not require any payment unless they are successful in securing benefits for you.
To learn more about your rights under the Social Security Disability laws, call our FREE Disability Hotline at 1-866-4-MY-SSDI (469-7734) to speak with one of our friendly disability rights advocates who, once they obtain all the required information, will evaluate your claim in 60 seconds or less. Alternatively, you can fill out our FREE Disability Case Assessment form and one of our representatives will contact you immediately.
