Your Social Security Disability Account
Posted 07/25/09
Q: Should I apply for social security disability benefits under my social security account or my deceased spouse's?A: Of course, for most people applying for social security disability, your objective is to receive the highest payments you can. In some cases, you will receive the most generous payment by applying under a deceased spouse's SS account. Other times, the largest payment will come from your own account. Either way, you have to choose which payment is highest, as you cannot have both.
The first step when deciding under whose account to request social security disability is to determine which will provide higher payment. It is best to check with the SSA to determine what those payments might be. Depending on your age, level of ability or disability, and your years of work, it is possible to receive higher payments on your own, or via a deceased spouse's account. In the case that you do choose to claim survivor's benefits, you will receive your spouse's full social security disability benefits when you reach retirement, or when you reach the age of 50 and are disabled. If you are under full retirement age but 60 or older, you will receive anywhere from 71 to 99% of your deceased spouse's social security disability benefits.
Q: I am receiving social security disability but I want to apply for SS retirement.
A: Generally, if you receive social security disability benefits, those benefits will be transferred to retirement benefits upon reaching retirement age. Most people who get social security disability have to do little or nothing to bring about the transfer. Consult the Social Security Administration or talk to a lawyer for information about transferring from social security disability to retirement.
Q: Is it true that everybody's social security disability claim gets denied the first time?
A: While you may hear plenty of horror stories about constant rejection from the social security disability program, the truth is that not all first claims are denied. The Social Security Administration has no policy or regulation stating that all first applicants should be denied. One the other hand, it is also true that first claims are denied quite often, and that the highest success rate with social security disability claims is in appeals, not on first application.
Of all social security disability claims, about 70% are denied the first time they apply. The biggest problem with this is that many who see their claims rejected do not know what to do improve their chances of being approved on the next application. Since most social security disability approvals happen through appeal, it is key to have knowledge of the ins and out of the appeals process. Consult the Social Security Administration or a social security disability expert for more information.
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