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1 1 (March 22, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/goveayr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Sa SCreio nalsy Israce ( Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) What is SSDI? Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal social insurance program that provides monthly cash benefits to nonelderly disabled workers and their eligible dependents, provided the worker paid into the system for a sufficient number of years. The program is part of Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), commonly known as Social Security. As with Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI)-the retirement component of Social Security-benefits are based on a worker's past earnings in covered employment. The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers both SSDI and OASI. Who is Eligible for SSDI? To qualify for SSDI, workers must be (1) insured in the event of disability, (2) statutorily disabled, and (3) under Social Security's full retirement age (FRA), which is 65-67, depending on year of birth. To achieve insured status, individuals must have worked in jobs covered by Social Security for about a quarter of their adult lives and for at least five of the 10 years prior to the onset of disability. However, younger workers may qualify with less work experience based on their age. In 2017, SSDI provided disability insurance coverage to 154 million workers; about 89% of covered workers aged 21-64 were insured for SSDI. To meet the statutory test of disability, insured workers must be unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death. SSA uses a monetary threshold to determine whether an individual's work activity constitutes SGA, which is adjusted annually for earnings growth. In 2018, the SGA earnings limit for most workers is $1,180 per month. In general, workers must have a severe impairment (or combination of impairments) that prevents them from doing any kind of substantial work that exists in significant numbers in the national economy, taking into consideration their age, education, and work experience. The work need not exist in the immediate area in which the claimant lives, nor must a specific job vacancy exist for the individual. (SSDI does not pay benefits for partial or short- term disabilities.) Some family members are also eligible for benefits, subject to maximum family benefit rules. * Spouses may qualify if they are (1) aged 62 or older or (2) any age and care for an eligible child who is under age 16 or disabled. * Children may qualify if they are unmarried and (1) under age 18, (2) aged 18-19 and in school, or (3) aged 18 or older and became disabled before age 22 and remain so. Updated March 22, 2018 How Many People Are on SSDI and How Much Do They Receive? In January 2018, 10.4 million individuals received SSDI benefits, including 8.7 million disabled workers, 124,000 spouses of disabled workers, and 1.6 million children of disabled workers (Table 1). Table 1. Number of SSDI Beneficiaries and Average Benefit Levels, by Type, January 2018 Total Average Monthly Number Monthly Benefits Beneficiary (thousands) Benefit (millions) Total 10,391 $1,060 $11,013 Disabled 8,677 $1,197 $10,388 Workers Spouses 124 $336 $42 Children 1,589 $367 $584 Source: Social Security Administration (SSA), Monthly Statistical Snapshot, January 2018, February 2018, Table 2. Cash benefits begin five full months after a worker's disability onset date. This requirement is known as the five- month waiting period. Initial benefits are based on a worker's career-average earnings in covered employment, indexed to reflect changes in national earnings levels. The benefit formula is progressive, replacing a greater share of career-average earnings for low-wage workers than for high-wage workers. Initial benefits may be offset if a disabled worker also receives state workers' compensation or certain other public disability benefits. SSDI benefits are subsequently adjusted to account for inflation through cost- of-living adjustments (COLAs). In January 2018, the average monthly benefit for a disabled worker was $1,197 (Table 1). On an annualized basis, the average disabled- worker benefit is $14,364, which is about 118% of the federal poverty level (FPL) for an individual. In addition to cash benefits, disabled workers and certain disabled dependents are eligible for health coverage under Medicare after 24 months of entitlement to cash benefits (generally 29 months after the onset of disability). This requirement is known as the 24-month waiting period and does not apply to workers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Due in part to this waiting period, only 68% of disability beneficiaries under age 65 reported entitlement to Medicare in 2016. Medicare spending per disabled beneficiary under age 65 was about $12,776 in 2013 (excludes ESRD beneficiaries). Medicare is not provided to non-disabled dependents under age 65. https:I/crsreports.conc -- -q

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