This is the follow-up to "Part One: How to Work Part-Time While On SSDI or SSI"
This follow-up article and the original were authored by Deanna Power.......
For those with lasting disabilities, programs like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are invaluable. But sometimes recipients seek more than financial monthly benefits. What if they decide to try working again? How do they reintegrate into the workforce while still staying financially afloat?
If you receive monthly disability benefits and are looking to return to work, Social Security provides multiple options for you to explore. Below we will explore the different work incentives available to both SSDI and SSI recipients, as well as the Ticket to Work program, which is available to anyone receiving disability benefits of any kind.
SSDI Work Incentives
Normally, income of any kind (especially over the monthly allowance) is capable of disqualifying a person from receiving SSDI benefits. However, to encourage people to return to work if possible, all SSDI recipients are eligible to engage in a “trial work period”.
Trial work periods allow disabled recipients to return to normal work for up to nine months without fear of losing their benefits. A trial work month is considered to be any month where a recipient earns over $840 or (if self-employed) works over 80 hours. Qualifying work expenses, such as transportation, supplies, or equipment, can be excluded from this total as well. During this period, there is no limit to the amount of income a person can earn, and there is no penalty for stopping work and resuming benefits as normal.
After a trial work period ends, SSDI recipients roll into a 3-year “extended period of eligibility”. This allows them to still receive benefits for any month where they don’t earn “substantial” income ($1,170/month). Recipients can stop work at any point in this period and receive benefits as usual without needed to submit another application. If income goes over this amount at any point, it is possible to stop receiving benefits. However, if the recipient is disqualified by their income, but is still considered disabled, they can still receive:
• deductions on disability-related work expenses, such as required work transportation, counseling, or at-work support
• Medicare Part A coverage for up to 93 months (7 years and 9 months) after benefits end, as long as the recipient is still considered disabled.
• expedited reinstatement of benefits (no application necessary) for up to five years after substantial work begins
SSI Work Incentives
While SSI does not provide trial work periods, it does provide consistent work incentives without time limits. The first incentive, which is available the moment after application approval, allows SSI recipients to continue receiving benefits for any work that is not considered “substantial". What is considered “substantial income” varies from state to state — to learn what your income limit is, you can speak to your local Social Security office at any point.
To further encourage work, SSI ignores your first $85 of earnings and one half of the remaining earned wages each month when determining your income. For example, a person who earns $1,085/month through work would only have $500 of that income counted towards their monthly income limit, still qualifying them to receive benefits. This allows a majority of SSI recipients to return to work if desired, as long as their report all income to the SSA. For most recipients, Medicaid coverage also continues even if this income limit is surpassed.
SSI also provides the PASS program (plan to achieve self-support) to all SSI recipients. This program helps people to set money aside for training, services, or skills required to help them reintegrate into the workforce or start their own business. After a short application, PASS recipients can save money and resources for their plan to self-support without having these funds count against their monthly income limit.
The Ticket to Work Program
All disability recipients also have access to the Ticket to Work program. This work incentive is aimed at helping disabled Americans receive the training and education they need to reenter work. Available benefits include:
• Free vocational rehabilitation to help you learn the skills you need to work and place you with job coaches that can help you work towards a gainful career
• Training with a number of state-run agencies that assist over a million disabled Americans in the up-and-coming workforce each year
• Job referrals and application assistance with any company in the United States offering a job in your field of work
• Other various employment support during any point in the process
Those who receive a “ticket” for this program do not undergo their routine medical reviews during this period. There is also no reduction in benefits or threat of losing benefits during this time — any person can decide to opt out of their Ticket to Work and return to their benefits as normal.