Social Security Disability Payment & Personal Information

The Social Security Administration insures workers if they become unable to work. Social Security bases its decision whether to allow or deny disability insurance payments based on a combination of the worker's medical condition, any remaining functional ability to work, and whether or not the worker, or claimant, is working. The determination process to assess a claimant's disability and how it affects the ability to work means revealing almost every aspect of the claimant's personal medical, vocational and educational records plus descriptions of normal daily activities.

Medical Information

• Social Security makes legal decision of the claimant's ability to work based partially on the medical records (or evidence) provided by the claimant's treatment sources. Treatment records, diagnosis, what medications are prescribed and if the claimant is compliant with medications and adherence to all follow-up treatment schedules are factored into the decision.

  If a claimant files for disability but has no doctor or recent treatment records, Social Security will pay for a consultative examination by a physician to assess the claimant's current condition. Social Security will not pay for treatment, drugs or other therapies, only examinations and any tests needed to get an accurate description of the ability to work.

Vocation

• An accurate and detailed vocational assessment is a vital part of the Social Security disability determination process. What a claimant does to earn money or has done in the past factors into Social Security's disability determination process. If a claimant can no longer lift 50 pounds because of back problems but has a job that only requires lifting 20 pounds then the claimant can still work and will be denied. If, though, a claimant must stand, walk and be on their feet for long periods but a heart condition reduces this ability, it will impact the disability decision.

Education and Age

• Social Security wants to know the claimant's education level because it could affect the ability to do other work. Young college or high school graduates can be quickly retrained to do less demanding occupations. Older workers who never graduated high school may be considered more difficult to retrain after being in a specific trade for many years. The level of education and age of the claimant will impact the ability to do other work.

Childhood Disability

• Children under the age of 21 still living at home with their parents or in school are eligible for disability benefits if the claim is allowed. Childhood disability does not consider the child's ability to work but instead the child's ability to function normally in classroom, social and family settings.

Allowance

• No matter the claimant's insured status, the disability determination process is the same. If allowed, however, payments are made monthly and are based on one of two criteria: an insured worker receives money based on their earnings while working, while uninsured workers receive a base amount determined annually by Congress no matter the level of earnings while in the work force.

Payments

• Payments are made by direct deposit and, most importantly, disability insurance benefits are not taxed. The entire amount paid monthly to the worker has no withholdings and no taxes are due at any time during the years.