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The Faces and Facts of Disability

Collage of individuals with disabilities

Social Security Disability Insurance

  • To qualify, the disabled person must have a recent work history
  • Special rules apply to younger persons who need less work to qualify

Work Requirements

The amount of work you need depends on your age at the time disability starts

Before age 24
1-1/2 years of work in a three-year period before becoming disabled

Age 24-31
work during half the time between age 21 and the time the disability began

Age 31 or older
work during five out of the 10 years before the disability began

Amount of Benefit

Social Security Statement sample

Benefits are calculated based on your entire work history

Who are Disability Insurance Beneficiaries?

Over 8.5 million

disabled workers receive disability insurance

Who are Disability Insurance Beneficiaries?

A diverse group, including people with:

Mental Impairments Sensory Disabilities Physical Disabilities
29.7% of disabled worker beneficiaries and 34.6% of all disabled beneficiaries are receiving benefits based on significant intellectual disabilities or severe illness. 9.6% of disabled workers and 9.7% of all disabled beneficiaries are receiving benefits based on nervous system and sense organ impairments. 33.2% of disabled worker beneficiaries and 29.7% of all disabled beneficiaries are receiving benefits based on musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases.

Disability Insurance Benefits are Modest

The average disability worker benefit:

$1,234
per month

cf. FPL for an individual: $1,065 per month

Even with disability insurance:

1 in 4 beneficiaries live in poverty and most are low-income (<200% FPL).

More than 11% of disabled workers are poor enough that they qualify for SSI.

More than 38% of disabled workers and 43% of all disabled beneficiaries receive less than $1000 per month.

Details the 6 basic facts about Social Security's disability program. 1) Social Security disability insurance is coverage that workers earn. 2) The Social Security Act defines disability very strictly. 3) Disability is unpredictable and can happen to anyone at any age. 4) Social Security disability payments are modest. 5) As experts projected for decades, the number of people qualifying for Social Security disability benefits has increased. 6) Social Security works aggressively to prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud.
The Social Security Act defines disability very strictly. For more information, please visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.
Social Security disability payments are modest. For more information, please visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.
Disability is unpredictable and can happen to anyone at any age. For more information, please visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.
As experts projected for decades, the number of people qualifying for Social Security disability benefits has increased. For more information, please visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.
Social Security disability insurance is coverage that workers earn. For more information, please visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.
Social Security works aggressively to prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud. For more information, please visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.