Receiving Other Benefits? The Impact On Social Security Disability In Florida
When you are unable to work due to a serious medical condition, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can provide vital financial support. These benefits help offset lost income, but if you receive income from other sources, such as workers’ compensation or privately purchased long-term disability (LTD) insurance, your SSDI payments may go down.
Understanding how income impacts your benefits helps in planning ahead and avoiding any unpleasant surprises. Our Jacksonville long-term disability lawyer explains what you need to know.
How Other Income Sources May Reduce Your SSDI Benefits
Social Security disability benefits in Florida protect your financial security if you can’t work for a year or more due to a qualifying medical condition. The SSA uses a specific formula when calculating how much your SSDI check should be. Some income sources don’t count, such as earnings through private savings or investments. But others can reduce what you receive. These include:
- Workers’ compensation: Your SSDI may be reduced to ensure your combined benefits don’t exceed 80 percent of your pre-disability income.
- Public disability benefits: Payments from state or local government disability programs may also count against your SSDI.
- Long-term disability (LTD) benefits: Most plans require you to apply for SSDI and reduce your LTD payments by the amount of SSDI you receive.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Rights To Disability Benefits In Florida
The Florida Chamber of Commerce conducted a study and discovered nearly three million residents of the Sunshine State struggle with some type of disability. If you are unable to work and are already receiving other income or benefits or expect to in the future, take time to prepare now. Here’s how to avoid SSDI reductions and ensure your benefits get handled correctly:
- Keep accurate income records so that you can clearly show which benefits you’re receiving and when they began.
- Notify Social Security of any income changes, especially if you start or stop receiving workers’ compensation or other public benefits.
- Review your LTD policy to see how it coordinates with SSDI. Some insurers will reduce your monthly LTD payout once you get approved for SSDI.
- Get legal help if you are unsure how to report income or if you believe your SSDI was unfairly reduced.
Understanding how other income sources impact your benefits can help prevent delays or overpayment issues that lead to repayment demands later.
To Protect Your Benefits, Contact Our Experienced Jacksonville Disability Lawyer
Applying for Social Security disability benefits in Florida and getting approved is often a confusing and challenging process. It is particularly complex when you get income from workers’ compensation, private LTD policies, or other sources.
At Farrell Disability Law, we help you understand how your claim may be affected, guide you in coordinating income from multiple sources, and represent you in appealing denied or reduced benefits. To get the total amount you are entitled to, contact our office and schedule a consultation with our Florida long-term disability lawyer in our Orlando or Jacksonville office today.
Sources:
ssa.gov/disability
flchamber.com/research/research-programs/a-study-of-employment-of-floridians-with-a-disability/
