It really is a shame that Social Security Disability has such a stigma attached to it. And there is. There is that thought out there that people on Social Security Disability are getting nothing but ‘hand outs’ or ‘entitlements’ or ‘welfare’. It’s our political world of uninformed opinions that grips our society today.
Fact is, that workers have paid for these benefits through their payroll taxes over their entire career. Just like you to pay into unemployment or car insurance, YOU funded the program through taxes that YOU paid. It is not a hand out. It is your tax money.
When you pay social security taxes, a portion of those taxes go into the The Disability Insurance Trust Fund. The Disability Trust Fund provides monthly cash benefits to disabled-worker beneficiaries and their spouses and children. It was created to benefit workers who are unable to work any longer. Workers pay a tax of 0.9 percent of their wages up to $113,700, and their employers pay an equal amount. These tax contributions go directly into the Disability Insurance Trust Fund.
So AGAIN, ALL U.S. workers pay Social Security taxes over a life time may receive Social Security retirement or survivors’ benefits. This has nothing to do with welfare, as you are simply being paid out by a fund that you paid into during your working years. To be eligible for Social Security Disability, the general rule is, you must have worked and paid Social Security taxes for five out of the 10 years prior to have enough credits to be eligible for disability.
Now, in terms of Disability Benefits, don’t confuse Social Security Disability (SSD) and Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI). Those are two very distinct programs and the information above is applicable to SSD benefits. You can read about the program differences right here.
The application process for SSD benefits can be daunting as well. Here at Mooney & Associates, we make it easy for you. We make the application for benefits for you. Not only that, but if you are denied at the application level, which most applicants are, we have a full Social Security Disability litigation practice. If you live in Pennsylvania or Maryland and have questions regarding Social Security Disability, call us today for a FREE consultation at 717-200-HELP or 1-877-632-4656.
