The Social Security system is in place to help us through difficult times. Unfortunately, there are some instances in which the system makes our lives even more difficult than they need to be. The day I received the denial letter for my claim, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. After talking with a few friends, I contacted a lawyer. That was the best decision I had ever made. Even with the professional assistance, getting the denial overturned and getting the money that I was owed took several months. I have kept a clear journal of my experience and loaded it with information that can help others get through what can be an impossible time.
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Social security denial - a journal of assistance
How These 3 Life Changes Affect Your Social Security Disability
Alexis Garcia
It can be a long and difficult journey to get approved for Social Security disability benefits, and once you have them, you don't want to take any chances on losing them. As a result, you can end up feeling a little afraid to make any kind of move that could possibly result in the loss of those benefits. It's understandable to feel that way, but you can't stop living your life. Instead, learn how different changes in your life may affect your Social Security disability benefits, so that you can plan accordingly for any changes. Here are the facts on how a few major life changes can affect your benefits.
Moving
Moving to a different state can affect many government-based benefit programs, like food stamps and low-cost medical insurance, so it's smart to investigate whether or not moving will affect your social security disability benefits as well. The good news is that in most cases, it probably won't. Social Security is administered by the federal government, so the benefits carry over from state to state. You just need to be sure to update your address on your account.
However, there are a few possible changes you could see as the result of a move. While your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments won't change, if you receive Social Security Insurance (SSI), you could see a change in the amount of your payment. That's because some states add a small supplementary payment to the federal payment, while others don't. So, if you move from a state without a supplementary payment to a state with a supplementary payment, your benefits would increase, and the reverse would happen if you moved from a state with a supplementary payment to a state without one. Also, even a move between two states that both offer a supplementary payment could result in a change in the amount you receive, because different states offer supplements in different amounts.
One more thing to keep in mind is that if you haven't yet been approved for your benefits and you're waiting for an ALJ review, moving to a new state will send you to the back of the waiting line in your new home. For that reason, if you've been waiting a while for your ALJ review, it might be smart to postpone a move until you've been approved, if possible.
Getting Married
One of the things that happens when you get married is that you wind up combining your finances with another person's finances. With that in mind, it's important to understand how getting married will affect your disability income. If you're receiving SSDI payments, your benefits are calculated based on work credits, accrued during yours or someone else's time in the work force. So, the answer to whether your benefits will change depends on whose work record is being considered to calculate your benefits.
If you're a disabled adult who has worked in the past, your benefits are probably based on your own work record, and getting married won't affect them at all. However, if you're an adult disabled child who is receiving benefits based on your parent's work record, your benefits will most likely end when you get married. If you're receiving benefits based on a previous spouse's work record, your benefits will also stop when you get married – unless you're a widow or widower over the age of 60, or 50 if you're disabled yourself.
SSI payments, on the other hand, are calculated based on your income. When you get married, some of your spouse's income will probably be considered to be available to you, and that will reduce the amount of your SSI payments.
Getting Divorced
Just as entering a marriage changes your financial situation, so does leaving a marriage. And just as SSDI payments based on your own work record won't change when you get married, they also won't change when you get divorced. If you've been receiving benefits under your soon-to-be ex spouse's work record, you may be eligible for divorced spouse's benefits, as long as you were married for at least ten years and you're not eligible for a larger payment on your own.
What you should know is that if you're ordered to pay child support after the divorce, your SSDI payments can be garnished to make the payments (SSI payments, on the other hand, cannot be garnished for child support.) This is true even if your children or ex-spouse are eligible for SSDI payments based on your work record.
The more you know about how your life changes will affect your disability payments, the better you'll be able to plan. If you have trouble getting approved for benefits, or if your benefits are being reduced or terminated and you believe that they shouldn't be, an experienced social security disability lawyer can help you figure out how to get approved for or keep your benefits. You can go to websites of local attorneys to learn more.
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