Work, Doctors, Insurance: How to Reconcile For Disability

If you have recently become disabled, and are just beginning the process of learning about Social Security disability benefits you probably have questions about how working, doctors and disability insurance all relate to each other. These are good questions because the process of obtaining Social Security disability benefits can be complex.

What is Social Security Disability?

Social Security makes disability payments under two different programs:

• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) pays benefits to people who have worked long enough and recently enough in a job where they paid Social Security taxes
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays benefits to low income disabled people, people over 65 or who are blind

Both programs have similar medical requirements for what qualifies as a disability.

Work

Working, or how much you can work is the first critical component of deciding disability. Social Security defines a disability as a medical condition expected to last at least 12 months or result in death and  that prevents you from working. Social Security will evaluate your ability to perform "significant gainful activity" when it comes to work.

If you are approved for benefits and begin receiving them and then you want to try to go back to work, Social Security has programs that can allow you to try working. If you can work and earn at least $1,000 per month or spend 80 hours a month working in your own business you are considered to be capable of significant gainful activity.

Doctors

As part of your disability application, you will be required to provide full contact information for all of your doctors who have provided treatment for your condition, as well as contact info for any hospitals or clinics where you have been a patient. Any medical records that you have are submitted with your application plus you will sign paperwork authorizing Social Security to request your medical records.

Your doctors will be asked to provide information about your ability to perform certain activities, such as sitting, standing or walking. They will be asked to describe your condition and treatment that has been provided, what tests have been ordered and what medications have been prescribed.

During the review of your application, if Social Security does not have enough medical information to make a determination you will be asked to see one of their doctors. Social Security will pay for this doctor's visit and may reimburse you for transportation to the doctor.

Insurance

 If you will be receiving disability insurance payments from another source such as Worker's Compensation Insurance those payments could affect the amount of your Social Security disability payment. Payments from a privately purchased disability insurance policy will probably not change the amount of your Social Security payment.

Get Legal Help

Applying for Social Security disability is something that you can do with the help of an attorney. An attorney can explain to you how working, your doctors and other insurance reconcile together in the disability process. There are many attorneys who specialize in helping people obtain Social Security disability benefits.