SSD and unemployment

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caregiver99
caregiver99 Member Posts: 27
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Anyone here collect both SSD and UE? If we can't collect both then why SSD since there is more money from UE?

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  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
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    I'm on SSD
    The only restriction that I've run into is the income requirement. I don't know that restrictions you from UE, just that the UE can't be above the lower threshold for SSD. I am certainly not an expert on this.
  • jtl
    jtl Member Posts: 456
    #3
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    SS
    A friend of mine is collecting both regular SS and UE. His UE was reduced. What you get from UE is determined by the State you live in so it may or not be more than SSD. In MN where my friend lives the UE is over $500 per week, in FL it will max out at $275 per week.
  • Marty36
    Marty36 Member Posts: 84
    #4
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    It's all about the ability to work
    SSDI assumes you can't work full-time, while unemployment assumes you can work full-time and will in the future. SSDI has the potential to be permanent, while unemployment is temporary and will end after a certain amount of time. In addition, SSDI is the road to insurance (Medicare) while unemployment usually isn't.
  • Hal61
    Hal61 Member Posts: 655
    #5
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    SSD and Me
    Marty said what I had to say, SSD is permanent, if you had to choose one or the other. My experience with filing and receiving SSD was painless. I filled out the papers myself without the TV lawyers--nothing wrong with using them though. My local SS office was great about rounding up papers from local docs if I left some items out or was unsure.

    The other thing to remember with filing for SSD is that H&N cancers fall under the "Compassionate Allowance" group of disabilities. Officially, that means your request will be moved to the front of the line. Unofficially, for me, I never had to see a doc to confirm my condition. I had only one short visit with a nice lady at the SS office, and my SSD was approved first time. I think filing using the Compassionate Allowance helped expedite a lot.

    Here's a link to info on the subject:
    Compassionate Allowance


    best, Hal
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #6
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    Hal61 said:

    SSD and Me
    Marty said what I had to say, SSD is permanent, if you had to choose one or the other. My experience with filing and receiving SSD was painless. I filled out the papers myself without the TV lawyers--nothing wrong with using them though. My local SS office was great about rounding up papers from local docs if I left some items out or was unsure.

    The other thing to remember with filing for SSD is that H&N cancers fall under the "Compassionate Allowance" group of disabilities. Officially, that means your request will be moved to the front of the line. Unofficially, for me, I never had to see a doc to confirm my condition. I had only one short visit with a nice lady at the SS office, and my SSD was approved first time. I think filing using the Compassionate Allowance helped expedite a lot.

    Here's a link to info on the subject:
    Compassionate Allowance


    best, Hal

    permanence
    Hal, Marty's wording included the word potential when discussing SSD, which is a bit more accurate than your statement, at least as I have been made to understand it. If your health condition improves to the point you can return to work, it can be terminated.

    Re obtaining SSD, I agree with you completely: mine was fast-tracked and I never even saw the face of a soc sec person, as I did it all online:

    http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/

    As you are well aware, you DO need to gather as much of your records, addresses, phone numbers, appt dates, etc., as you can beforehand, but they allow you to fill out in 'doses' if you will, saving and closing and revisiting later to make additions and corrections.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • Marty36
    Marty36 Member Posts: 84
    #7
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    soccerfreaks said:

    permanence
    Hal, Marty's wording included the word potential when discussing SSD, which is a bit more accurate than your statement, at least as I have been made to understand it. If your health condition improves to the point you can return to work, it can be terminated.

    Re obtaining SSD, I agree with you completely: mine was fast-tracked and I never even saw the face of a soc sec person, as I did it all online:

    http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/

    As you are well aware, you DO need to gather as much of your records, addresses, phone numbers, appt dates, etc., as you can beforehand, but they allow you to fill out in 'doses' if you will, saving and closing and revisiting later to make additions and corrections.

    Take care,

    Joe

    Potential
    Joe is right, in terms of what I mean by potential. Some people leave SSDI because they are now able to work. Because the amount of money you can make while on SSDI is limited, some people improve to the point that they will want to return to work. Those people may work for a couple of years, a decade, or even the rest of their work lives.

    i also said potential because, as I remember from my days representing people requesting SSDI and SSI, there are periodic reevaluations where you are asked to prove your condition hasn't improved to the point you are no longer "disabled."
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #8
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    Marty36 said:

    Potential
    Joe is right, in terms of what I mean by potential. Some people leave SSDI because they are now able to work. Because the amount of money you can make while on SSDI is limited, some people improve to the point that they will want to return to work. Those people may work for a couple of years, a decade, or even the rest of their work lives.

    i also said potential because, as I remember from my days representing people requesting SSDI and SSI, there are periodic reevaluations where you are asked to prove your condition hasn't improved to the point you are no longer "disabled."

    I qualified in the early 2000's
    when there wasn't a fast track for throat cancer. Originally denied, I won the appeal in about 2003 at age 50. I had a query from SS about two years later, but as I had just been through a cardiac intervention, that didn't go anywhere. My voice recovery was never good enough to go back to my occupation full-time, and now that I've had several more cancers and major interventions, it won't ever be a problem.

    One of the reasons I never pushed to get back to my profession part time was that in my circumstances I couldn't buy third party health insurance, and my SSD allowed me to be on Medicare. Without this I was stuck self-funding my healthcare. And I'm one of those people who has had almost a million dollars worth of health care related bills since my problems first began.

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