Is it possible to receive temporary disability benefits from Social Security

Social Security does not provide short-term disability benefits, but there is an exception to this rule in a few select states. It is a requirement for this program that you are unable to receive an income for at least 12 months because of a mental or physical injury that is considered a disability in Social Security’s Blue Book. There are requirements that your condition needs to fall in place with when wanting to receive SSD benefits. Each impairment will meet a certain level of severity.

What are the exceptions to short-term disability benefits?

Short-term disability is only offered in five states. The five states that offer short-term disability benefits are California, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Rhode Island. This temporary benefit is meant to help those who have a health condition that is not work related, but they will be out of work temporarily. Because this short-term program is only in a few states, it is funded by an employer. These benefits are not related to SSDI or SSI. Here are some requirements you need to meet in order to qualify:

You should be working for your company for a certain amount of time
You need to meet the minimum income requirements. Those many be different depending on the state you apply for
Before being eligible, you need to be disabled for at least a week to receive short-term disability benefits
Your disability must not be related to work
Because these benefits are short-term, you can only receive them for 26-30 weeks and 52 weeks in California

In order to qualify, you need to provide medical documents of your illness. Once you apply and qualify, you can start receiving benefits in a minimum of eight days. Short-term disability is about 60 percent of an employee’s wage. This means you will still receive about 60 percent of what you normally make.

Disability Considerations

The type of disability program you apply for should be based on your medical condition and how long your doctor said you should be out of work. Disability claims can take some time to process for either an approval or denial, so make sure you consider that factor as well when applying. If your claim gets denied, you are able to appeal this decision, but that will prolong the application process. There is no guarantee that you will be found disabled, but with the help of a disability attorney, they can support you and your claim during this level. Social Security does offer motivation to help those who are disabled to encourage them to return to work when they have made progress.

Employer Supported Short-Term Disability Plans

Most employers offer disability insurance to their employees. If your job does carry short-term disability insurance, then you will file your claim with them first, mainly if your condition is not going to last longer than 12 months. Your human resources department of the company will have all the information you need to file for short-term disability as well as a medical leave of absence because of your disability.

Like previously mentioned, receiving short-term disability benefits will be from your private insurance with your employer. This is not a SSD or SSI case because short-term is not offered in that program. Short-term disability policies are helpful when your health requires you to miss a little more work than expected, but not enough for long-term benefits.