By Jim of Allsup
We’re celebrating 60 years of the Social Security Disability Insurance program this week. The program was signed into law Aug. 1, 1956.
That’s a remarkable milestone. Currently, more than 151 million workers are insured for Social Security disability benefits because they’ve worked, they’ve worked hard and paid FICA taxes.
But the fact of the matter is: Many people don’t know what SSDI is or why it’s so important to their financial futures.
When life happens and you experience a life-changing disability, it’s hard to get used to the new reality you face. We have many customers who tell us they would rather not apply for SSDI.
They want to be working. And a lot of people who qualify for SSDI either give up or never apply for disability insurance in the first place.
One big reason is they think it’s the end of the line. But empower by Allsup® is now here to tell all working Americans—SSDI is not the end of the line. Those who successfully receive SSDI benefits also can use those benefits to return to work if and when they medically recover.
Six Reasons Why You Want To Apply For SSDI
Our new dual purpose online tool for SSDI benefits and return-to-work assistance is all about making sure you know, upfront, why your disability insurance application is so important to you.
- First: You will receive important monthly benefits.
- Second: Once you qualify and receive SSDI benefits—24 months after your date of entitlement, you can receive Medicare health insurance.
- Third: SSDI includes a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which means you receive an annual payment increase whenever a federal COLA is enacted.
- Fourth: You protect your retirement benefits when you receive SSDI. Someone who quits work, and doesn’t apply for SSDI benefits, will see all those years of no earnings be calculated into their retirement payment—probably making it smaller. But SSDI provides a retirement “freeze”; you really want to take a close look at this benefit.
- Fifth: If you have dependents under age 18 at home, then an additional amount of money is added to your benefit, typically half the monthly value.
- Sixth: Receiving SSDI is not the end of the line for your financial and career prospects. It’s an important benefit to help you during a work-disrupting disability that may require 2-5 years (or longer) to medically recover.
Don’t miss out on these important benefits of SSDI. Getting ready to start your Social Security disability application? Check out empower by Allsup®.
We think you’ll agree, it’s a better way to apply for SSDI.
