There are at least five major types of Social Security disability benefits. Disability Insurance Benefits (sometimes seen as DIB) are the most important type of Social Security disability benefits and are what most people are referring to when they say they receive social security disability. This type of disability is awarded to individuals who have worked in recent years (five out of the last 10 years in most cases) and who meet the strict guidelines noted for making the determination of being disabled.
There are other types of benefits as well. Disabled Widows’ and Widowers’ Benefits are paid to individuals who are at least 50 years of age and have become disabled within a certain amount of time after the death of their husband or wife. In these cases, the late husband or wife must have worked enough under Social Security to be insured.
Another type of benefits is the Disabled Adult Child Benefits. These benefits go to the children of persons who are deceased or who are drawing Social Security disability or retirement benefits. The child must have become disabled before age 22.
In any of these types benefits mentioned above (i.e. Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widow’s or Widower’s Benefits and Disabled Adult Child benefits), an individual’s current financial status does not apply. Benefits are paid based upon a Social Security earnings record. This is not true though for the last type of disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Benefits of this source are paid to individuals who are poor and who are disabled. It does not matter for SSI whether an individual has worked in the past or not. SSI child’s disability benefits are a variety of SSI benefits paid to children under the age of 18 who are disabled. The way in which disability is determined is a bit different for children and is discussed elsewhere.
If you think that you may qualify for benefits under any of these disability programs, please give my office a call at 770-393-4985.
