Disability is not inability, so they say. While that is true, many disabled people around the world face many challenges. It is gratifying to see efforts being made towards empowering people with disabilities. As you already know, people can be born with a disability or get disabled while carrying out their activities. Imagine waking up one day to go to work and on your way you’re involved in an automobile accident. Accidents are unfortunate occurrences that have permeated our roads. One minute you’re well and healthy, the next you find yourself in a wheelchair.
A disability can turn your life around for the negative. A person who gets injured while going on with his or her daily activities finds it hard to come to terms with the reality. If you are alive and kicking, don’t take life for granted. When it is gone is when you realize the value of what you had. While it is probably not possible to go back to your normal self after a disability, accepting the reality and coping with the disability will go a long way into helping you lead a healthy lifestyle afterward. You can overcome the challenges and lead a fulfilling life.
Living with disability
Many people dream of a healthy and fulfilling life. When the storm comes and you are rendered disabled, fear and uncertainty creep in. You start wondering how you’re ever going to do the work you love. You even start wondering how you will keep a relationship or even live a happy life thereafter. While disability can cripple you, it should not be a tragedy. Many people have walked along this road and not only enjoyed life, but also thrived.
The thoughts that go through the minds of disabled people when changing jobs include: will I get bullied in the new workplace? Will I be seen as inferior or cause trouble because of the special needs? Will I receive fair treatment when the applications are being considered? You will get to overcome those issues with time. While these experience could be traumatizing, programs such as social security disability insurance (SSDI) and supplemental security income (SSI) help disabled people get back on their feet after the nasty experience. Disability benefits are driving disabled people’s recovery. The following is more about SSI, SSDI, and even SSI vs SSDI.
What is SSI?
This is a program funded by general fund taxes to benefit people with financial needs, depending on their income as well as assets. It is also known as “means-tested-program”, to mean it entirely depends on financial need. To be eligible for SSI you must a very low-income earner and have less than $2,000 worth of assets.
The disabled people who qualify for SSI are also eligible to get Medicaid in their respective states. If you qualify for SSI, the probability is that you will also qualify for food stamps. The amount of money you will get is dependent on the size of your income as well as where you live. You will receive SSI benefits the month you will submit your application.
What is SSDI?
Payroll taxes fund the social security disability insurance. The beneficiaries of SSDI consider themselves ensured that they will receive this because they made a significant financial contribution to the program and to realize that they have worked for a certain amount of years. They make the contributions through FICA Social Security taxes. To be eligible for SSDI, you should be 65 years old or younger. You are also required to earn a certain amount of “work credits” to be eligible for these benefits. A disabled person will receive Medicare two years after starting to receive SSDI.
This program also benefits the spouse, as well as children of the disabled person partially. The benefits are known as auxiliary benefits. Unlike SSI, adults above the age of 18 are eligible for these benefits. Five months into disability, the disabled person will have started receiving the benefits. Just like social security retirement benefits, the amount a disabled person will reserve depends on earnings record.
When you look at SSI vs SSDI, SSDI’s approval rates are higher than SSI’s. For one, SSDI is more likely to earn more, as well as have an insurance cover as compared to SSI. This means that SSDI’s members might have visited a doctor for their treatment. Claims and credit examiners give applicants who have worked for longer times more credibility.