Is There An Average SSDI Payment?

There isn’t really an “average” SSDI payment. The system is a little more complex than that. Most forms of SSDI are calculated by your work history and how much you have made before collecting SSDI. As such, the more you made in the past and the more you’ve worked recently, the higher your payment will be. As such, it’s very difficult to put a number on the “average” SSDI payment since it’s so directly tied to peoples’ work histories, which vary so significantly.

Are There Things That Might Potentially Impact My SSDI Payments, Such As Personal Injury Settlements Or Any Other Additional Income I Might Receive?

SSDI payments are based primarily on your earnings to-date. To some extent, your monthly income is considered, but really the payments are based on how much you have historically earned, and how recently you earned it. Those are the most important factors involved in calculating your SSDI payment.

Do Workers’ Compensation Benefits Offset SSDI Payments?

In the vast majority of cases, workers’ compensation benefits should not offset SSDI payments at all. Workers’ compensation benefits will likely have a significant impact on SSI payments, but should have an impact on SSDI payments.

Can I Draw Long-Term Disability And Social Security At The Same Time?

You can draw long-term disability and social security disability at the same time. Generally speaking, private long-term disability contracts will require you to apply for social security disability. This is because the amount that a private provider will pay you for long-term disability can be offset by the amount you are collect for social security disability.

For example, if a private long-term disability provider has to pay you $2,000 a month, they will require you to apply for social security disability. They will not require you to be accepted into the social security disability program, because they cannot legally do so. However, they can require that you apply.

If you are accepted and do receive social security disability payments, the private long-term disability provider will deduct whatever you get from the government from their monthly payments. That way, they won’t have to keep paying you $2,000 per month if you’re getting, say, $1,500 per month from the government.

This is how most policies are written. In the end, for the insured person, it doesn’t really end up making much of a difference in terms of the total compensation you receive. In the end, you will still receive $2,000 per month, whether you receive it from the government or from the insurance company or both.

However, for the insurance company, this sort of arrangement makes a big difference, since it means that they get to take themselves off the hook for some of their obligations to you. Therefore, they make it very clear that they expect you to apply for social security disability. They also make it very clear that not applying for social security disability constitutes a breach in the terms of your insurance policy, which can lead to them cutting you off altogether.

Again, this is how the typical policy is set up. These rules do not necessarily apply to every policy. You have to read the terms of the policy carefully, and make sure not to sign anything that you can’t live with later. However, as far as common knowledge, that’s the way a typical policy is written.

What Are Some Reasons That My Monthly SSDI Payments Might Decrease?

Working, to put it simply. If you are able to work and bring in more income, your monthly SSDI payments may decrease.

Is There A Maximum Amount Of SSDI A Person Can Receive?

Yes, but very rarely do we see someone receiving the maximum amount of SSDI. The actual maximum changes depending on the cost-of-living adjustments and things of that sort. Right now, the SSDI maximum is a little bit north of $3,000 a month. However, it is very rare that we see someone receiving that amount.

What Are Some Reasons That My Monthly SSDI Payments Might Increase?

One of the main reasons your SSDI payments might increase is a cost-of-living adjustment. Cost-of-living adjustments apply officially across the board, and are referred to as COLA changes. They are determined by specific formulas in accordance with official inflation rates. When COLA changes are made, everyone receiving SSDI gets the same adjustment.

What If My Disability Gets Worse Over Time? Would My SSDI Be Increased To Cover Additional Medical Costs And Other Expenses?

No, your SSDI payments will not increase if your disability worsens. This is because SSDI payments are not calculated based on how disabled you are. Rather, the question of disability when it comes to SSDI is a yes or no issue. If you’re disabled, they pay it; if you’re not disabled, they don’t. How disabled you are or how disabled you become is not part of the equation.

Can I Receive Unemployment While On SSDI?

No, you cannot receive unemployment while on SSDI. This is because unemployment insurance and SSDI are two different programs for mutually exclusive scenarios.

Unemployment payments are for people who are ready, willing, and able to work, but there are no available or suitable jobs for them. Disability payments are for people that cannot work due to their disability, no matter how many jobs there are for them.

Does SSDI Calculate Back Pay? If So, How Is That Figured?

Yes, SSDI does calculate back pay. It is calculated first by determining that you are disabled. Once that’s done, they will have a specific identified date on which you “became disabled.” Generally speaking, this will be a date within the past year or two. Occasionally, judges are willing to go back before then—say, three to five years. Normally, though, judges do not like to go back for an extended period of time.

In any case, a specific date is assigned to the beginning of your disabled status. Your past-due benefits (or “back pay”) consists of all of the payments you would have received between the date you became disabled and the date you actually started receiving SSDI payments.

For instance, let’s say that your date of disability was declared as one year before you started receiving SSDI benefits. If you receive $1,000 per month in SSDI benefits, then your past-due benefits amount to $12,000.

For more information on SSDI Law in Pennsylvania, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (610) 649-3769 today.