Articles

SSDI Glossary of Terms

Disability Benefits

You can get disability benefits if you:

• Are under full retirement age
• Have enough Social Security work credits
• Have a severe medical impairment (physical or mental) that's expected to prevent you from doing "substantial" work for a year or more, or have a condition that is expected to result in death

Family Benefits

When you're eligible for retirement or disability benefits, the following people may receive benefits on your record:

• Spouse if he or she is at least 62 years old (or any age caring for an entitled child under age 16)
• Children if they are unmarried and under age 18, under age 19 and a full-time elementary or secondary student
• Children age 18 or older but disabled
• Divorced ex-spouse.

Date of Onset

Your "date of onset" is considered the first day you are unable to work because of your disability. The date of onset may or may not be the same as the date you were diagnosed. Applicants usually use the day they last worked as the date of onset.

Month of Entitlement

Your "month of entitlement" to SSDI will be that month which is five full months following your last day of work (your sixth month of disability).

Back Payment

if your disability began more than six months before you applied for SSDI, you may be eligible for "back benefits." Applications for SSDI can be retroactive only up to 12 months.

Family Maximum

The maximum amount of benefits payable to an entire family on any one worker's record.

Supplementary Security Income pays benefits based on financial need.

Appeal

Whenever Social Security makes a decision that affects your eligibility for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits, we send you a letter explaining their decision. If you disagree with their decision, you have the right to appeal it (ask them to review your case). If their decision was wrong, they will change it.

Application for Benefits

To claim Social Security Disability benefits you must complete and sign an application. You can apply for retirement benefits and spouse's benefits online at, in person, or by telephone, or you can have one of our trained professionals help you.

Benefits

Social Security provides five major categories of benefits: 

• Retirement
• Disability
• Family (dependents)
• Survivors
• Medicare

The retirement, family (dependents), survivor, and disability programs provide monthly cash benefits and Medicare provides medical coverage.

Lump Sum Death Payment

A one-time payment of $255 paid in addition to any monthly survivor's insurance benefits that are due.  This benefit is paid only to your widow/widower or minor children.

Widow

You are the widow/widower of the insured person if, at the time the insured person died:

• You and the insured person were validly married or
• You would have the status of a husband or a wife for that person's personal property if they had no will or
• You went through a marriage ceremony in good faith that would have been valid except for a legal impediment.

The minimum age for

• Disabled widows benefits are age 50.
• Retirement for widows is age 60.