About Social Security Disability Benefits

Social Security disability benefits are available to disabled Americans who are unable to work. If you think you might be eligible for benefits, you might be interested to know what the benefits are, who is eligible, and how and when you can get your payments.

Available Benefits

Social Security disability benefits are monthly cash benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays these benefits to disabled workers and their families. This benefit replaces the income of a person who is disabled and can not work any longer. People who are eligible for Social Security disability benefits may also me eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.

Eligibility

The SSA takes several factors into account when determining eligibility for Social Security disability benefits. To qualify, you must be disabled and unable to work. The disability must be total, not partial, and expected to continue for at least one year. Also, you must have a recent work history of a certain number of years. SSA changes the amount of work history necessary for benefits. To find out the current amount of work history they require, check the SSA website at ssa.gov.

How the SSA Pays Benefits

When the SSA approves your disability claim, they will start making payments the sixth month after your disability began. The SSA makes payments once per month and makes all payments electronically after May 1, 2011. The SSA will either direct deposit the payment to your bank account, or if you do not have a bank account, you can sign up for their card account program.