Question about disability: Looks like a good friend of mine

[Flaxbee]

will be getting Soc. Sec. disability; she's 59, suffered a work-related injury that damaged her neck, had a massive heart attack and quadruple bypass, and has fibromyalgia. Her attorney and doctor believe she'll qualify, but she probably won't get enough to cover her mortgages AND food expenses, etc. Right now she works 3 hours per day and barely gets by with that money and by making earrings and some support from friends...

Anyway - my question is whether or not she'll be able to continue her part time job after getting disability? I assume there is some sort of limit on what she can make and still qualify, but I really have no idea about the ins and outs of the system.

Anyone have any insight or experience that might be useful for my friend?

Thanks in advance. :hi:

[Flaxbee]

1. kick for the day crowd....

thanks.

[Roon]

2. You can work part-time

I am not sure but I think she may have to wait x-amount of months before she can return to work. But don't hold me to that.

All I know is you can work and make about half of what you are getting in SSDI. But you must be very careful and not earn anymore or they will disqualify you and take your check. Just be sure to call SS and let them know she is working.

Sorry I couldn't be more specific, but you can go to www.ssa.gov and they will give you better answers than I could.

[Inchworm]

3. It is a complicated mess from all I've seen

I'd suggest reading this and parusing the www.ssa.gov site.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10095.html

G'luck!

:hi:

[MajorChode]

4. It's not easy to get SS disability

Even in obvious cases the SSA will usually turn down the application. You get a lawyer, take it to court, and right before the hearing, the SSA gives in and settles.

The important thing is to get the application in ASAP because if and when you do prevail they give back pay back to the date of when you would have received SS disability had they approved your app originally. If she has an attorney, I assume all this has been covered already.

[Flaxbee]

5. yes, it has. She has an attorney

and it's all in process now. Thanks.

[KamaAina]

6. She probably needs a "Ticket to Work"

an initiative of SSA (thus, horrendously cumbersome) to get aid recipients working.

Look for an "Employment Network" (EN) in her area.

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=262&p_created=958488606&p_sid=bAUIb_nj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NDcsNDcmcF9wcm9kcz0mcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PTEuMTA1JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=&p_topview=1

The Ticket to Work is an innovative program from the Social Security Administration that:

Increases beneficiary choice in obtaining rehabilitation and vocational services to help them go to work and attain their employment goals;

Removes barriers that require people with disabilities to choose between health care coverage and work; and

Assures that more Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in the workforce and lessen their dependence on public benefits.

The Ticket Program is free and voluntary and will offer SSA beneficiaries with disabilities/blindness a greater choice in obtaining the services they need to help them go to work.

edit: Her local Center for Independent Living (if she has one, I see you are in NC where not all counties are covered) should have the details.

http://www.ilru.org/html/publications/directory/northCarolina.html

[Flaxbee]

7. thank you, KamaAina --

she wants disability for the rest of her life - she's too injured to really go back anywhere full time, but she needs to keep her medicaid, and make enough or get enough from disability to be able to pay her mortgage and basic living expenses. She's trying to find out what she can do to supplement disability w/o causing her to lose it.

[KamaAina]

8. Another SSA initiative is called PASS

Plan to Achieve Self-Support.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/pass.htm

Every state has a WIPA (Work Incentives Planning Assistance) program, not housed at SSA. Sizing up individual situations like this is what they do.

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/oesp/providers.nsf/bystate

[Debi]

9. There is a difference between SSDI and SSI

But the SSA website knows WAY more than I do on the subject!