Disability Benefits

The SSA has very strict requirements for collecting disability benefits. The requirements are based on your ability to work.

The SSA has very strict requirements for collecting disability benefits. The requirements are based on your ability to work. You will be considered disabled if you cannot do the work you did before, and then you must meet the strict requirement that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical conditions. The disability must be expected to last for at least a year or result in death. This is not intended for a temporary or short-term disability, nor are benefits paid because of a partial disability. This is only for catastrophic stuff.

The average monthly benefit for a disabled worker with a spouse and one or more children in the year 2001 is $1,310. That's not enough to survive on, much less pay essentials like a mortgage and buy groceries, but it does provide a base of protection you can count on each month.

When you start collection disability or retirement benefits, other remembers of your family may be eligible for benefits also:

• Your spouse if her or she is at least 62 or older

• Your spouse if he or she is under 62 but is taking care of your child who is under age 16 or is disabled an receiving Social Security benefits

• Your child if she or he in not married and is under 18, or is under 19 and is a full-time student in a secondary school

• Your child over 18 if she or he become severely disabled prior to age 22

Disability benefits are available for children as well. It is part of your benefits as a worker, and it provides for children who may suffer from mental retardation or other childhood afflictions. Always ask if you are eligible for a benefit; the Social Security Administration does want you to get all that you're entitled to.