Social Security Disability - How Many Credits Do You Need to Be Covered for Disability?

Social Security Disability is a disability insurance program run by the Social Security Administration. If you become disabled before retirement age, you may qualify for a monthly benefit if you have reported earnings to the IRS and paid taxes. Each quarter of each year you work earns you a credit if you make enough money (read this to see how much money is needed to earn a quarter credit). Depending on your age, you have to have earned a certain number of credits to be insured. The rules for how much work you need to qualify for disability benefits are as follows:

Before age 24--You may qualify if you have 6 credits earned in the 3-year period ending when your disability starts.

Age 24 to 31--You may qualify if you have credit for working half the time between age 21 and the time you become disabled. For example, if you become disabled at age 27, you would need credit for 3 years of work (12 credits) out of the past 6 years (between ages 21 and 27).

Age 31 or older--In general, you need to have the number of work credits shown in the chart below. Unless you are blind, you must have earned at least 20 of the credits in the 10 years immediately before you became disabled.

AGE YOU BECOME DISABLED ---------- NUMBER OF CREDITS YOU NEED

31 through 42	20
44	22
46	24
48	26
50	28
52	30
54	32
56	34
58	36
60	38
62 or older	40

Copyright (c) 2011 by John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved. For assistance with your Long Term Disability claim, ERISA Disability benefit claim, Florida Social Security Disability claim, Florida SSI Disability claim, or Veterans Disability compensation or pension claim, call Disability Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.

9 Tips for Applying for Social Security Disability Benenfits

Social Security No Longer Mailing Paper Earnings Statements

In its continuing quest to save money, the Social Security Administration has stopped sending taxpayers annual Social Security Earnings Statements. In a brief online statement, the government says, "In light of the current budget situation, we have suspended issuing Social Security Statements. You may be able to estimate your retirement benefit using our online Retirement Estimator."

Social Security's Retirement Estimator tells a person approximately how much they can expect to receive when they reach retirement age.

So what do you do to find out how much your Disability Payments would be if you became disabled?

You have to use one of three Benefit Calculators on Social Security's website. These work fairly well. Typically, our firm finds some of the estimates to be off, but not by too much.

Copyright (c) 2011 by John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved. For assistance with your Long Term Disability claim, ERISA Disability benefit claim, Florida Social Security Disability claim, or Veterans Disability compensation or pension claim, call Disability Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.

Social Security and VA Benefit Payments Go Paperless Starting Today - May 1, 2011

To reduce costs, the U.S. Treasury is going paperless. Starting May 1, 2011, the Treasury Department will begin phasing out paper checks. Benefit payments for things like Social Security Disability, SSI and Veterans Compensation will be made through electronic funds transfers directly into recipients' bank accounts. It is estimated that it will take 2 years to change the entire system away from paper checks.

The government estimates that this will save $1 billion over the next decade. This is in part due to the large influx of baby boomers who will begin receiving Social Security retirement checks - 18 million or so. Though a lot of people already get benefits directly deposited into their banks, the government still cuts paper checks to 11 million people.

Anyone that is receiving a check currently will have to change to direct deposit by March 1, 2013. The Treasury Department is saying that they will notify recipients of how to make that switch. If someone does not make the change, they will receive a Direct Express card.

Many of my clients have been doing this for years, and it works very well. Once benefits start, I have never had a client tell me they had a problem with their deposit being made on time.


Copyright (c) 2011 by Florida Disability Benefits Lawyer John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved. For assistance with your Long Term Disability claim, ERISA Disability benefit claim, Social Security Disability claim, or Veterans Disability compensation or pension claim, call Disability Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.

New Treatment Options for Multiple Sclerosis

For those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, more and more options for treatment keep getting introduced to the medical profession. The National M.S. Society magazine, Momentum, included a feature story in its Spring 2011 issue titled "A New Era: New Drugs, New Options, New Risk" that I would encourage anyone suffering from MS or who has a family member of friend with MS to read.

As an attorney representing people trying to get disability benefits, I see some of the devastating effects of MS. Multiple Sclerosis hits people in many different ways, but a horrible part of the disease is the fact that disability insurance companies and Social Security Disability often do not believe a person's symptoms are that bad. This is particularly true where someone with MS does not "look disabled," but the impact of the disease creeps up on them every day as they get more fatigued, develop blurry vision, have increasing difficulty holding things, or simply cannot concentrate on simple tasks.

If you would like more information about disability claims or are looking for a disability attorney in Florida, contact me at (866) 282-5260 or send me an email. We offer free consultations. Getting a little information before you apply for benefits puts your mind at ease, and it may also help you get your claim paid without having to hire a disability lawyer like me.


Copyright (c) 2011 by John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved. For assistance with your Long Term Disability claim, ERISA Disability benefit claim, Social Security Disability claim, or Veterans Disability compensation or pension claim, call Disability Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.

Social Security Disability or SSI Hearing? Read SSA's Own Stats to Find Out How Often Your Judge Pays Claims

Social Security Disability and SSI cases are handled by Administrative Law Judges - called "ALJs." Some ALJs pay award benefits more often than others. So, how do you know?

If your disability or SSI claim was scheduled for hearing, you can find the name of your Judge by looking at the Notice of Hearing letter. Click here to see the Social Security Administration's own statistics about how many claims your ALJ has paid or denied.

Keep in mind that Social Security's statistics also show that you are more likely to win a Social Security Disability / SSI attorney when you are represented by a knowledgeable attorney at your hearing.

Copyright (c) 2011 by John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved. For assistance with your Long Term Disability claim, ERISA Disability benefit claim, Social Security Disability claim, or Veterans Disability compensation or pension claim, call Florida Disability Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.