How Much Do I Get with SSD Benefits? Answers for People in Louisiana

How Much Do I Get with SSD Benefits?
Answers for People in Metairie, New Orleans, Louisiana.

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    Disability Benefits Provide Monthly Checks. This Is How They Calculate the Amount.

    Living with life-changing health problems forces you to approach everything in a completely different way.

    More care goes into every decision, from something as simple as when to buy groceries to the complicated goal of having enough money for a decent life.

    Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits are an important factor for many people. Knowing how much you’ll get from SSD benefits helps you plan your life.

    Depending on your circumstances, there are different benefit options. Below, we discuss how to calculate your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

    Understanding the resources available to you is not easy. Everyone faced with making tough choices can use a steady, knowledgeable guide to help make it through.

    At Empower Disability, our Metairie disability lawyers, serving people throughout the New Orleans area and Louisiana, are laser-focused on helping you apply for benefits and win approval. We have decades of experience with this kind of case.

    Every person and situation is unique. For more information about your individual case, don’t hesitate to give us a call. An initial consultation comes at no cost. Empower Disability is here to help you take control of your situation.

    How Much Do You Get with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits?

    How Much Do You Get with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits?

    Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, applies to folks who have worked for a portion of their lives and paid into the Social Security system—just in case you encounter the very health disruptions that you’re facing today.

    SSDI doesn’t cover “partial” disability. Social Security will decide that you either qualify for full benefits, or they will deny your benefits. To qualify, you must prove that your medical condition has caused total disability by showing:

    • Your health problems prevent you from working more than a minimal amount. (What Social Security calls “substantial gainful activity.”)
    • You’re unable to do the work you previously did, or adjust to different types of work.
    • Your impairment and inability to work will last for at least one year, or it’s permanent.

    To calculate your monthly benefits, Social Security looks at what you earned each year and what you paid in Social Security taxes before you had to stop working for health reasons.

    It then uses a complicated formula based on your age and working years to determine what your monthly SSDI payments will be. This is called your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA).

    Social Security may reduce your monthly payments if you receive financial relief in other ways, such as from a workers’ compensation claim for a job injury.

    In 2023, the average monthly payment for SSDI came in at $1,483. The highest possible monthly payment reached $3,627. You can set up an account with Social Security to help estimate what your payments would be.

    If you qualify for SSDI, you’ll also be eligible for early access to Medicare health coverage—making it easier for you to manage your condition.

    Empower Disability has helped thousands of people with this process

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    How Much Do You Get with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability Benefits?

    How Much Do You Get with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability Benefits?

    Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, generally pays less than SSDI, but it is a vital safety net for folks with disabilities who have never been able to work, or haven’t worked in a long time, and they earned too little to make substantial payments into the Social Security system.

    Where SSDI is calculated using your work history, SSI is based on your disability itself and your limited financial resources.

    There is no difference in the definition of disability under SSDI or SSI. Once it’s established that you cannot work because of your medical impairments, and you meet the financial requirements, SSI becomes an option.

    To calculate what you may receive through SSI, Social Security determines your “countable income.” Your countable income does not include resources such as tax refunds, food stamps, state assistance, loans, or money others spend to help you with your expenses.

    Once your countable income is determined, Social Security subtracts that from the federally set, monthly benefit limit for each year—in 2023, it was set at $914 for single people and $1,371 for an eligible couple. The remainder is your SSI monthly payment.

    The average SSI payment in Louisiana as of 2023 came in at $665, according to Social Security. People eligible to receive SSI are also eligible for Medicaid health care coverage.

    At Empower Disability, our team of Social Security Disability lawyers can provide insight into your specific circumstance, help you seek benefits, plan for the future—and protect your independence

    Our disability law firm is in Metairie. We help people from Kenner, New Orleans, Chalmette, Gretna, Marrero, Houma, the Northshore, Hammond and all across Louisiana.

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    Empower Disability Helps from Beginning to End

    Are you just starting to look into disability benefits? Do you need to file an application? Have you already filed and been denied? No matter where you are, Empower Disability can help.

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    Get Answers to Your Disability Benefits Questions

    The Social Security Disability system can seem cold, complicated and uncaring. You’ll have a lot of questions but not always fast answers. At Empower Disability, taking care of you is our mission. We’ve prepared answers to some of the most frequent disability benefits questions.

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