How Much Will My SSD Benefits Be?
Not everyone receives the same size disability check. The amount you receive is actually based on your average lifetime earnings. You may recall receiving a letter from the Social Security Administration around your birthday each year. This letter includes a summary of your lifetime earnings and your estimated disability benefit, if you become disabled. The letter should give you an idea of how much monthly payments will be.
The amount increases the more you have worked or earned in the past. If you are a disabled widow or widower, the rate depends on how much your late spouse worked or earned in the past.
Back Benefits
You may also be entitled to back benefits. These benefits begin accruing five months after the date of onset of your disability, and they accrue until you win your Social Security Disability case. Because getting SSD benefits can take such a long time, many people are entitled to months and months of back benefits when they finally win their cases.
Other Benefits
In talking with an experienced lawyer, such as Pennsylvania SSD attorney Cynthia Berger, you may discover that this amount is not all you are entitled to. Many people who are eligible for Social Security Disability are also eligible for other benefits, like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicare. Two years after the date your disability began, you may become eligible for Medicare benefits. And, if you receive SSI, you may be eligible for Medicaid benefits right away.
Where Does the Money Come From?
Social Security Disability benefits come from payments made by working Americans. These payments are made in the form of Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, and are withheld from your wages. You may have noticed these taxes coming out of your paycheck before you ever considered filing for Social Security Disability. If you have spent enough time working at a job where you were required to pay FICA taxes, you will probably be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if you are disabled.
Unlike SSD benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is funded by general tax revenues, not by Social Security taxes.
To learn more, contact SSD attorney Cynthia Berger. Contact her and her support staff at our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, law office by calling toll free at 888-572-1164. Initial consultations are free and confidential.
