Disability Employment Awareness Month Reminds Us to Make the Most of Ticket to Work

October 28, 2018 | Paula Morgan, Return to Work Case Manager at Allsup Employment Services

October marks the annual occurrence of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in the U.S., where organizations nationwide work to educate the public on the value and necessity of a workforce that includes people with disabilities, as well as the challenges faced by this group when trying to find a place in the modern workforce.

For people with disabilities, experiencing the personal rewards of returning to work is not only satisfying but can lend a sense of security for the future. After a sometimes grueling recovery from a severe condition or illness, becoming financially independent and secure again can help renew a sense of purpose and direction in life.

Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is nearly twice as high as those who are able-bodied (7.3 percent versus 3.4 percent). That’s in part due to the many misconceptions shared by employers and policymakers — and even individuals with disabilities themselves. Research shows the longer that formerly injured or ill individuals are out of the workforce, the harder it becomes for them to re-enter. It’s crucial to help this transition occur as quickly as possible, especially since it’s the financial disruption that can cause the largest problems down the line – not the initial costs for medical treatment.

Allsup Employment Services specialists know that people with disabilities want to go back to work. When we ask, more than half of the applicants we serve through our online Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) assistance platform indicate they do want to go back to work someday. We also know that very few do. The road back to employment can be a scary one―many are afraid of losing the benefits they currently need to survive. Other potential job seekers just don’t have a clear path available, or the resources they need, to make that happen.

This October, there is some good news. In today’s tightening labor market, employers are starting to show more openness to providing accommodations to workers who have experienced a severely disabling illness or injury. By receiving education at the start of their Social Security disability application process about the programs and assistance available, people with disabilities can better envision a path to put their lives and careers back on track.

For those who have a disability, the first thing to do is to find out if they qualify for SSDI, and then apply immediately. If they have already been awarded SSDI, they could benefit from Social Security’s Ticket to Work program. Ticket to Work can help them earn more money than they currently receive in SSDI benefits and can improve their financial future. If and when an individual is medically able to try some kind of work, this program makes it easier for the person to test whether he or she is ready to work, without the fear of losing SSDI and Medicare benefits.

To make the most of the program, it helps to understand these Ticket to Work basics:

  • Employment Networks (ENs). More than 600 ENs across the U.S. offer a range of free support
    services through the Ticket program. Some ENs serve specific populations, while others provide specialized support services. You can visit the SSA’s Ticket to Work page to search for an EN, or you can check out the TrueHelp site for more information on returning to work with SSDI.
  • Trial Work Period (TWP). Individuals can keep their SSDI cash benefits while testing their ability to work for nine months (anytime during a 60-month time period). They have a safety net where they can test their ability to work again and receive full SSDI benefits in addition to their job earnings.
  • Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). After the Trial Work Period ends, individuals are eligible to receive SSDI benefits for any month in which their job earnings drop below a threshold called “substantial gainful activity” (SGA). In 2018, SGA is $1,180 for non-blind individuals and $1,970 for blind individuals. This period lasts 36 months.
  • Continuing Medicare Coverage. After the Trial Work Period ends, Medicare coverage continues for up to 93 consecutive months. Individuals still receive coverage during this time even if SSDI payments end.
  • Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits. If individuals become unable to work again within five years after the EPE ends, they can request to have their SSDI benefits restarted without filing a new Application.
  • Continuing Disability Review (CDR) Protection. Social Security periodically reviews disability claims. As part of the Ticket to Work program, individuals are exempt from medical CDRs and their status remains unchanged. For patients ready and medically able to return to work, taking advantage of the Ticket to Work program can help prepare them for success.

As you can see, there are years of protection and important supports to help individuals attempt a return to work. Returning to work can be tough and complicated, but the Ticket to Work program can streamline the process. Working again also can provide a better financial future in the years leading up to retirement. For many people with disabilities, using their Social Security disability benefits could be their best path back into the workforce.

How to Get Disability Assistance for Chronic Lupus

February 7, 2018 | Andrew Mathis, Mathis & Mathis Disability Advocates

Most people don’t understand what it’s like to have lupus. It’s a debilitating disease with complicated symptoms that can change and worsen over time.

If you — or someone close to you — experiences lupus effects severe enough to make working impossible, there is an avenue for financial relief: Social Security Disability benefits.

Social Security is famous for providing retirement benefits. But in the event that health problems force you out of work before you reach retirement age, Social Security also has disability programs that act as a form of insurance.

These programs provide monthly checks and qualify you for government-run medical insurance through Medicare or Medicaid.

Winning those benefits, however, is hard.

As a professional disability advocate, I see the challenges people face with lupus — and with being denied disability benefits — all the time.

But with a serious condition like lupus, a carefully built application can secure your benefits and help you maintain your financial independence.

In this post, I’ll explain how Social Security approaches lupus as a qualifying disability.

 

What is Chronic Lupus?

The Lupus Foundation of America defines lupus as a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of your body –– skin, joints, and organs –– affecting 5 million people worldwide, with more than 16,000 new cases reported each year.

“Chronic” means the signs and symptoms last longer than six weeks and often for years.

With the right medical care, the Lupus Foundation says, most people with lupus can lead a full life.

But severe cases of lupus can become a disability. Lupus can even be fatal.

Common symptoms, according to the Lupus Foundation, include:

  • Extreme fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Painful or swollen joints
  • Fever
  • Anemia
  • Swelling
  • Pain in chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
  • Sensitivity to sun or light
  • Hair loss
  • Abnormal blood clotting

 

How Lupus Qualifies for Social Security Disability

Social Security maintains a list of official qualifying diseases, called its “Blue Book,” and lupus is included on the list.

For Social Security’s purposes, lupus qualifies as a disability when it meets these conditions:

  • It involves two or more organs or body systems.
  • It includes at least two major signs or symptoms, such as severe fatigue, fever, malaise, and involuntary weight loss.

 

If lupus symptoms occur repeatedly, the disease qualifies as a disability when it causes these limitations:

  • Limitation of daily living activities
  • Limitation of social functioning
  • Limitation in completing tasks in a timely manner because of problems with concentration, persistence, or pace

 

Social Security also has rules that apply to every kind of disability:

  • You must be unable to continue in past work.
  • You must be unable to adjust to other work.
  • Your condition must be expected to last at least a year.

 

Why is it Hard to Win Social Security Disability Benefits?

The Social Security Administration is grappling with years of cuts to the resources it needs to run its programs. It also faces political pressure to avoid granting benefits to anyone who doesn’t deserve them.

So applying for disability benefits is complicated and confusing, filled with long forms and thousands of rules, regulations, and procedures.

In recent years, Social Security and other observers — including me — have reported that most people get denied when they first apply. As many as two-thirds of initial applications for disability benefits get turned down.

When you’re denied, your next step is to appeal. A key step in appealing is going to a hearing with a Social Security administrative law judge. But, as many news reports have shown, Social Security has a backlog of more than 1 million people waiting for hearings. The wait can last more than a year.

A condition like lupus comes with particular challenges in convincing your claims examiner that your health problems are severe enough to warrant benefits.

Lupus has a wide variety of symptoms. Many of them— like fatigue — are difficult for someone else to observe. The symptoms change over time.

But if you have lupus and Social Security denies your application for benefits, you should appeal. Appeals are often when people succeed at winning benefits.

You can get help with your appeal from a professional Social Security Disability advocate. This is what we do at my firm in the Washington, D.C. area.

Most professional advocates will provide a free initial consultation on your case. And most only charge a fee when you win benefits.

Experienced advocates deals with the Social Security system every day. They know how to build your appeal to give you the best chance of winning benefits, including gathering all-important medical evidence.

 

What Medical Evidence Do You Need?

Social Security calls medical evidence the “cornerstone” for proving a disability application.

The most important evidence you can provide comes from medical professionals who treated you for your impairment.

Hold on to all of your medical records from treatment for lupus. You’ll need these records for your application or appeal. A professional advocate can also help you gather all the evidence you need.

Social Security looks for evidence of these main points:

  • Existence of impairment, including the “objective medical evidence” that you have an impairment
  • Severity of impairment, establishing how your impairment affects your ability to work
  • Non-medical sources, including statements from coworkers, family members, and others who know you

 

What Forms Do I Need?

Applying or appealing for Social Security Disability benefits means filling out a lot of forms.

Here are a few key ones:

  • The Disability Report,  Adult, FORM SSA-3368-BK
  • The Work History Report, FORM SSA-3359-BK
  • The Recent Medical Treatment Report, FORM HA-4631
  • The Medications Report, FORM HA-4632
  • The Hearing Request, FORM HA-4632

 

My firm’s website includes descriptions of these and other forms you might encounter in the process of applying for disability benefits.

 

Do I Have a Disability Case for Lupus?

If your lupus is keeping you from working, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits.

Don’t be afraid to apply — or appeal if you’re denied. And don’t hesitate to reach out and get help. Too much is at stake.

When health problems have changed everything, those monthly checks can help you move forward with your life.

 

* * *

Andrew Mathis is an Accredited Disability Representative (A.D.R.) serving the Washington, D.C. area. He leads Mathis & Mathis Disability Advocates and has spent more than 25 years helping people secure the disability benefits they need.

 

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