Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) are truly insurance, not a handout. A wage earner must have paid into the system through OASDI contributions and earned sufficient work credits to be eligible to claim disability insurance benefits. To be clear, these benefits are not a handout and there should be no stigma attached with trying to grab this lifeline in a time of need. This is insurance in the truest sense of the word. Workers pay premiums into the system for a term of years, and then may claim disability benefits if the necessary criteria are met.
Disability is also like insurance in the sense that if premiums are not paid, one’s benefits can expire. In the parlance of the Social Security Administration, this expiration date is known as the Date Last Insured (or DLI), and will often fall approximately five years after a long-term worker ceases employment. To successfully claim disability benefits, a person must establish that they became disabled prior to their DLI. Because of this fact, it is important to file quickly after going out of work, and to seek medical care for the disabling conditions. The medical records that are generated during the claimed period of disability are vital to a disability claim’s success. Claimants should attempt to comply with physician orders, and thoroughly communicate with their medical providers regarding their symptoms, as well as the symptoms created by treatment that they are receiving.
An individual who is out of work due to their health should not hesitate to claim disability benefits. This can be a lengthy and stressful process, that is often made more difficult by delay. To learn more about Disability Insurance Benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) please contact The Law Firm of O’Brien & Feiler for a free consultation, and to learn more about disability, please visit the OBF Knowledge Base.
