How Disability Benefits Can Affect Your Family

By Author: James C. Miller
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When you are disabled, it is important to understand how your family may be impacted. One way your family may be affected depends on how the Social Security benefits affect your finances. People with disabilities want to work just like everyone else. They want to support themselves and not be dependent on their family for everything.

People are becoming more aware of the benefits that are offered by the Social Security Administration, including relaxed social security disability rules after age 50. Read on to learn about the pros and cons of securing Social Security benefits for your family's financial well-being.
What types of Social Security benefits are available?
Disability benefits are obtained in multiple ways. Some people qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, while others may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). One of the most misunderstood topics of disability is how it actually affects an individual's life.

Disabilities are not just a financial burden they can also ...
... be emotionally taxing to families caring for others who have disabilities. There are a number of different disability benefits that a person may be able to receive, ranging from monetary benefits to health insurance. Each one of these types of benefits has its own set of rules and regulations, but it is worth noting that they all help to ease the financial burden on a family in times of need.
Social Security Disability Benefits
The Social Security Administration has two primary disability benefit programs - Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). When you are disabled, benefits are paid out to qualifying beneficiaries based on income, family size, and other factors.

When you apply for disability benefits, your family may also need some help. If you are married, the spouse may be eligible to receive cash assistance. With cash assistance, the family can pay household expenses and groceries while you wait for your disability benefits to start. Some people find it more difficult to return to work after receiving disability benefits.
Supplemental Security Income
For people who are receiving Social Security disability benefits, these are designed to help supplement or replace their income. If you were to apply for a Supplemental Security Income, the amount would be based on your financial needs. In some cases, it can be enough to cover the household expenses and also provide a little extra income.

Supplemental Security Income is a government program that pays benefits to people who are unable to work because of their disability, but who may not qualify for SSDI due to lack of a qualifying work history or for other reasons. There are multiple ways SSI income can be used, one being to help cover family members or children's living expenses.
Qualifying for SSDI
To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you must first establish that you have a diagnosed medical health condition that prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activities for at a minimum of 12 months, or it is likely to result in death. If you are disabled and looking to collect a disability benefit, whether it is SSDI or SSI, there are a number of things that you will have to do.

You must first qualify for benefits, which can be done by either meeting the Blue Book criteria for medical conditions or by being totally and permanently disabled through a medical-vocational allowance. Social Security Disability Insurance provides disability-related benefits to workers who become disabled while working or who are already receiving benefits for any reason. Unfortunately, not everyone qualifies.

The only way to qualify for SSDI is by meeting the specific requirements outlined by the Social Security Administration. There are two ways to meet these requirements: either you must have worked long enough and paid into the system, or you must be eligible for retirement benefits.
Qualifying for SSI
The SSI program makes it possible for a family member to qualify for benefits based on financial need without a qualifying work history. In order to be eligible for SSI, a qualified person must have a medically diagnosed impairment that prevents them from working and earning an income. The individual’s disability must be expected to last at least one year, which means that the individual will not be able to work even if they wanted to.

Additionally, the applicant cannot have any other source of income. If you are disabled, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits. These benefits will affect your family, so it is important to be aware of how they work. One of the most common ways in which disability affects a family is when one parent becomes disabled and their children are forced to take up the role of the disabled parent to assist their family.

Conclusion
Disability benefits can positively or negatively affect your family as a whole. When deciding how to apply for disability, it is important to consider the impact of benefits on your life as a whole.

If you have been diagnosed with a disability, then it is important to have legal representation to get you the benefits that are being denied to you. Disability lawyers in Chicago are experienced in disability law and can help make the process simpler for their clients.