Disability benefits can also be an ongoing source of financial support for blind workers, allowing them to keep their jobs while receiving monthly disability payments. During the trial period, you must declare your income, professional activity and expenses to the SSA. During this period, your disability benefits are not at risk. This means that after completing your probationary period, you can earn as much as the SGA and not lose your monthly disability benefits. The income threshold generally changes from year to year and these figures are based on the cost of living and inflation. The easiest way to qualify for a disability is to prove that your eyesight is legally blind, or 20/200 or worse. This automatically entitles you to disability benefits. With the help of a lawyer, you can determine the best path and determine what works best for your specific needs. Schedule a free case review by completing the free case assessment form on this page. Claims are often denied initially, so working with a lawyer with my help increases your chances. Be sure to pay attention to signs that you are being denied a disability. This implies that, in order to qualify for benefits for persons who are blind under the Act, both eyes must be considered blind under at least one of the above criteria.
A good eye can disqualify you. Requests for legal blindness are usually approved without much effort. However, if you are not considered blind under the law and need professional medical assistance to receive benefits, your application will become more complicated. In all cases, the application and review processes can be difficult to understand. If you are not considered legally blind, you may still be eligible for SSDI benefits if your vision problems alone or in combination with other medical conditions prevent you from working. Your disability advocate will need to work closely with your treating physician to include appropriate documentation of your specific findings and impairments in the medical record. At Law Med, that`s what we do. What do you mean by special regulations for the blind? If you are blind, you can use some or all of the deductions from earnings that apply to the SGA decision. However, the eligibility criteria for disability benefits for the blind are strict and subject to discretion, and you could easily be denied blind benefits if you don`t know exactly what you`re doing. If you are not considered blind under the law, you must provide additional documents to the SSA.
In particular, the SSA requires: If you live in Pennsylvania and are looking for services for blind people with disabilities, act now to set up a free board so we can answer your questions and discuss your options. The required documentation includes a report on your visual acuity and/or visual fields and the cause of vision loss. Although the cause of your blindness does not determine whether benefits are provided, medical records must include a diagnosed « cause » in order to receive benefits. Social Security`s legal blindness standards are based on their disability lists and provide a very specific definition of « legal blindness. » If you qualify for SSDI because you are blind, special rules apply that do not apply to applicants with other disabilities. You are allowed to work more and yet you are not considered to be in a major job, which would exclude you from receiving benefits. « After the best correction » refers to your vision after everything that can be done to improve it. Typically, this means wearing glasses. « In your best eye » means how it sounds; Your best eye. SSA office locations: www.disability-benefits-help.org/social-security-attorney The amount you are allowed to work may change every year. In 2019, you can earn up to $2,040 per month while still qualifying for benefits. That`s far more than the $1,020 that other applicants who are not blind are allowed to earn.
The Pennsylvania State Government has implemented a blind disability pension program that provides blind disability benefits to eligible applicants. SSA disability examiners are the people who review claims for benefits. You use the Blue Book list to compare it to your medical records to determine eligibility for benefits. Keep in mind that you only have 9 months of testing over a 60-month period, so you don`t want to accidentally consume those months before your intention. If you return to work and do not earn more than the SGA, you will continue to receive your disability benefits. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplementary Security Income (SSI) programs provide support to people with disabilities. On this page, you`ll find detailed information to help you understand what to expect from Social Security during the application process. We decide whether the professional activity of blind self-employed persons is SGA solely on the basis of their income.
We do not consider the time spent in the company or the services provided as we do with non-blind freelancers. Partial blindness will not allow you to meet the Blue Book list, which means that your claim for benefits will have to be considered differently. The SSA should review your medical records, employment history, professional qualifications, and day-to-day functional skills more thoroughly before deciding whether or not to qualify. If you are blind and receiving disability benefits, but are considering returning to the workforce and want to take advantage of your 9-month trial period, you should contact a disability lawyer or a lawyer who handles such cases in your area. Eligibility for Vision Loss Disability Benefits: www.disability-benefits-help.org/disabling-conditions/vision-loss-and-social-security-disability The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a fixed amount of income called essential employment (SGA). In 2020, this represents $1,260 per month for people with disabilities but not blind. For blind people, the living allowance limit is $2,110 per month. If you are faced with this situation, it is important to keep a disability benefits lawyer with experience in obtaining benefits for people who are legally blind, as things can get complicated. Some of the most common causes of blindness are diabetes mellitus, macular degeneration, traumatic injuries, corneal or retinal infections, glaucoma, amblyopia (« lazy eye »), strabismus, uveitis, stroke, optic neuritis (e.g. associated with multiple sclerosis), retinitis pigmentosa, and retinal detachment. You may also be blind and have an eye and receive disability benefits if you have another serious medical condition that prevents you from working full-time.
No. Under SSDI, this condition must have lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months. There is no duration for blindness under ISS. BWE items don`t need to be related to your blindness. When we calculate the amount of your SSI payment, we treat BWE items differently from IRWE. We do this because it always results in a higher SSI payment amount for you. The table below shows how BWE would affect your monthly payment compared to IRWE. If you are legally or completely blind, you may be considered disabled and qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). If you qualify for these benefits, you may also be able to continue working and earn more income than if you were disabled because of another medical condition. Only vision problems that cannot be resolved are considered disabling by the SSA. You must be able to prove that your partial blindness cannot be « corrected » by wearing corrective lenses.
For this reason, your vision tests should be done with your lenses or glasses. People who are born blind generally learn to live and thrive in a world dominated by sighted people, but they still face ongoing « adaptive living costs » as working adults. Self-employed individuals can deduct business expenses as well as any expenses they need to have because of their disability. These expenses may include prescriptions, medical care, medical equipment, and any special tools, equipment, or software you need to get the job done. For example, the cost of documents written in Braille or special voice-activated programs so that you can send messages and prepare documents. We do not count the earned income you use to cover the expenses you need to earn that income when we decide if you qualify for the Additional Security Income (SSI) and calculate the amount of your payment. To be eligible, you must be eligible for SSI due to blindness. They are also not acceptable if your vision improves significantly with the use of glasses or contact lenses. Only persons with a real and severe visual impairment are eligible for disability benefits. Your other medical records, including detailed reports and exam notes completed by your doctor, can provide the other evidence required for your disability claim. Make sure your records are complete and that the SSA has access to them.
Obtain copies of as many of your records as possible and submit them with your claim at the time of application. No. If you meet the medical definition of blindness, we do not use SGA as a factor in determining your ISS eligibility. Your eligibility for the SSI will continue until you recover for medical reasons or your eligibility ends for a non-disabled reason. To protect what is important to you, we now offer the option to select a representative beneficiary in advance. If you can no longer make your own decisions, you and your family can rest easy knowing that you have already chosen someone you trust to manage your benefits. If you need a representative beneficiary to help you manage your services, we will first review your agents in advance, but we will still need to fully assess them and determine their suitability at that time. Whether you apply online, by phone or in person, the application process for disability benefits follows these general steps: People who are not blind may, in most cases, not work more than 45 hours per month for their business while receiving disability benefits.