Not sure if I have all the right answers but this is what I can share. You should be getting an annual statement from social security. It's a white 4-page booklet that has your yearly earnings and then an estimate of what you would receive when you retire or if you are disabled.

To qualify for SSD you have to have a certain number of credits within the past number of years. That's why many women who stop working to have kids won't qualify until they are back to work for years. And being selfemployed might affect your credits. But that booklet will tell you if you qualify and give you an estimate. Make sure you have the most recent one.

I've been told that you can work some while collecting. But I'm not sure if what you earn comes out of what you collect (not even sure how that would be figured) or if it is extra. The number I heard from a friend was $900 a month. They also said that once you qualify you can try going back to work. You have up to two years of steady work time and if you can't handle it you go right back on disability without the whole claim process.

The other thing I found out is that there is an exemption on property taxes up to 50%. But there is also an income limit that is based on you and your spouse so unless he wasn't working it would be hard to qualify.

Hope that offers a few answers or at least points you in a direction. I am anxious to talk to my lawyer tomorrow to find out what other benefits there might be. I did notice on the irs.gov site that there is a credit available but I think again the combined income will wipe that out.

i get SSD, but wasn't married when i got it.
i'm pretty sure this is how it works. it's based on you only and your income from the previous 5 years. this didn't work well for me b/c i'd taken lower paying jobs as well. i don't think they publish the chart. i haven't seen it. back pay can go back to the time you were disabled so you can get a back pay initially, then their set amount monthly. hope it works out.

Serenity they do send out this booklet each year. I'm wondering if since you are collecting that they aren't sending them. There is a place on the website where you can request a copy.

This one tells about what you can earn if you are approved. But my understanding is that you cannot work at all while you are awaiting approval. So you would have to be willing to take that time off.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10095.html

yes, you can work while receiving disability. You can earn up to $800.00/month for the first nine months and still receive your full disability payment monthly this is called the Ticket to Work Program. Then you can extend the program for 3 more months and make up to $1,000.00/month. After that you lose your benefits.

OR

If you cannot work that much, you can work part time and earn no more than $700.00 (gross)/month and not lose your benefits.

ALSO,

If you earn over $1,000/month and use up your "Trial Work Period" meaning you no longer receive your benefits as described above, then you can still try working without the fear of having to reapply for 5 to 7 years. So, if after 1 1/2 years you just can't do it, then your benefits will begin again without the delay of reapplying.

There are agencies who work with SSD that can help you with this.

Tigg, you have to be not working due to disability for 5 months I believe. I am not sure of the exact # of months. And it is retroactive, but I was unable to work for 12 years and got retroactive for only one year. The monthly amount you receive is based on your last 5 years of earnings and has nothing to do with a spouse.

tigg, thanks. i don't get that, just a statement of benefits rec'd.

Yes, your husbands money can affect the total amount of money you can claim to my understanding.

There are a few different kinds of Social Security.
SSI= Social Security Income
This is basically "welfare" for those individuals who were born disabled or become disabled and have not had enough or any work history to claim from.

SSB= Social Security Benefits
This is income for individuals from another account. The best example would be if a parent of a child were to die, their Social Security monies woult go out as a monthly death benefit to the child and surviving parent. Of course there are income and age limitation on this as well.

SSR= Social Security Retirement income

SSDI= Social Security Disibility Income
This is the money that while you work you pay into the SSA system. In order to claim SSDI, you have to have collected so many work credits in the most recent 5 year period ( I believe it is 5 years)
A spouses money does count to an extent. Also, if you become disabled and declared eligible for SSDI, any minor children are also entitled to SSB benefits because the parent has become disabled.

I hope this infomration helps.

Thanks Tigg, everyone-
I'm guessing that as I've only been working part-time since we married in 2000, I wouldn't get much. But that's my fault, I didn't have to quit a steady job to go back into writing. I wanted to follow my passion and I did, and that meant taking a drastic pay-cut. I figured that since my hubby didn't mind supporting us, it was okay. But I never gave real thought to the RSD and my future.

If I could do it all again, would I give up the luxurious travel each month to work as a bookstore supervisor and newspaper free-lancer? Probably not. ;) But it sure makes me happy that my hubby makes enough to support all 3 of us.

If I ever have to go back to work full-time, though, it would be near impossible. It's really hard for women who stay home with their kids to get a fair shake from the government. Or what if you weren't making much $?

Good luck, Tigg- I hope you get good news from the lawyer. I know my Mom did it that way and there were no problems that I ever heard of. It's a smart way to go.

Now, I just pray I never need disability! Unless they can count the years I worked before marriage, it's a difficult question.

As it was explained to me, SSDI is disability insurance. The money taken out of your paycheck is premiums. If you are deemed to be disabled, you get SSD benefits.

There is also SSI which is income related. With SSI, your husband's income is taken into account.

SSDI is just disability insurance. It doesn't matter how much your husband's income was. It is an insurance policy that merely pays benefits according to your premiums paid.

When my attorney sent in SSDI's application for benefiits for me, their cover letter specified to forward the application to SSDI and NOT to SSI, as the money I received from my LTD insurance rendered me ineligible. They told me that many SSDI applications are denied because the application went to SSI first, and the applicant didn't qualify for SSI. They were never sent on to SSDI, and the applicant never knew. They just assumed they were denied SSDI benefits.

One important thing for SSDI applicants to remember is that if you work AT ALL before your application is approved and you begin receiving benefits, you are deemed healthy enough to work, and your SSDI application is denied. If that happens, you have to re-file, with your last date worked being updated to show that last "trial" job.

I am on SSDI and have been for 2 years now. I wasn't working for less than 2 months when I applied. It is based solely on your income and how much you paid into the system while you were working. Also, I don't remember there being a place on the forms about spouse's income, just his/her name dob addy, the basics.

They asked questions about who else was living in the house, as I am living with my parents now. But it is based on what I paid into the system, not my parents. I didn't have a lawyer either. I applied and was approved 2 months later.

As for working, when you get approved, they send you a whole information packet. It tell you how much you are allowed to make without it affecting the amount that you can get. If you work and make over the SSDI amount, it is taken out of your SSDI check. So if I decided to work part time somewhere I could, as long as the amount that I make is not greater than the amount I receive in my SSDI check. I don't beleive there is a set dollar amount as everyone will recieve a different amount that they qualify for SSDI benefits.

They ask alot of questions about your limitations and abilities. What you can and can't do. It is a very detailed packet to make sure you are not trying to "beat" the system.

Here is the link for applying for SSDI and it has all of the information that you need for applying for it.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/

Some people get approved right away. Some may take several months to a couple of years. I was fortunate to get approved right away. But that is in part that at the time I was literally unable to take care of myself and was completely dependant on others for help.

Then once you are approved for SSDI, you can receive Medicare health ins after 2 years. I just got 2 years in Jan, so I finally have the insurance to be able to take care of my health needs. I was on state insurance before that.

I wish you luck, and if you have any question, let me know,

Gentle hugs,
Jenna

Thanks Jenna!
I guess if one day I do need the $, it's good to know there's that possibility. For instance, my hubby's insurance is starting to get difficult with everyone. They're requiring us to all get physicals and if our BMI is too high then THEY pay for you to go on Weight Watchers.

Problem is, my BMI is right on the borderline (it'd be better if I didn't carry around so much weight in my chest) and Weight Watchers worked for me when I could exercise a lot, and that's the ONLY way I can lose weight. I'm not even sure they'd tell me I'd need to, but I hear they're being "difficult".

I don't even eat but once a day and that's one of the reasons I didn't lose the baby weight/IVF weight. I'm supposed to eat MORE, according to my doctor. When I stopped being able to use my recumbant bike, I stopped being able to lose weight. I've maintained my weight for years. But if I refuse this WW offer or I don't go in for this physical, I lose my medical insurance! They're strong-arming people into doing things they don't need or want to do.

So if they can force us to go in for weight, can you imagine how hard they'll try to get rid of me for RSD? It's a bad diagnosis b/c there's no cure! So I'm more worried about the insurance. When I was very young I had no insurance and I ran up a boatload of medical bills. It made me declare bankruptcy before I was 21 years old. Asthma and chronic back troubles were bad enough, but then I got appendicitis and chronic kidney stones- my hospital bill was ridiculous. I was just out of college at the time and what a way to start a career- being bankrupt.

So I dug myself out of THAT and my DH makes good money so I can stay at home except for a week a month, and be with our son, whom we waited forever for. So now we're looking at my possibly losing my insurance b/c I can't exercise enough to lose the 5-9 pounds that will make the difference.

I could be wrong- I might be on the right side of the BMI but until I know, I am so worried about this. So thanks for all the links and help- I need it! Hopefully I won't end up having to get Medicare , or SSI. But it's good to know it is there if needed!

thalia, i can't believe they'd force you into weight watchers. i know you mentioned wanting a reduction. my mother was able to go down to a B from somewhere way up there. it was 20 years too late for her back, but she has benefited so much from it - not only fewer back problems, she just feels generally better. that would surely lower your BMI. crazy dr.s you've dealt with! i'm glad you followed your dream and that you have such a supportive husband!

They say the best way to lose weight is to eat small meals every 3-4 hours. I like things like fiber one bars, crackerful cheese snacks, and the new kelloggs chips. All are around 100 cals. Then I also drink protein meal replacement drinks twice a day. It works as long as I stay with it.

I can see the insurance saying they will pay for WW but I can't see them being able to drop you if you don't lose weight. That would be discriminating. Most of us are on meds that put on weight so it's a constant fight. If you have to do the WW keep accurate records of what you are doing. If they question you then you pull out your records to show you did your best.

I've never had a weight problem, just am top heavy. I could stand to lose 10 pounds, but then so can a lot of people, LOL! They're doing this at my hubby's work for everyone who chose this insurance plan. I don't THINK I'll be affected, but with BMI you never know. And I can easily lose weight if I can exercise but it's my foot that has the RSD.

In the summer I can swim in our pool, but this is going to turn into a pretty big fight between me and the insurance IF they try to force me into it. My hubby is on the edge, too but he can do Atkins diet for a few weeks and lose weight. He won't keep it off, though. He just has to lose it for the weigh in at the appt. I can't do Atkins- I am not a big meat eater and it never worked for me.

I only needed to lose weight once and it was b/c I wanted to be skinny again for my wedding. WW worked well but I was still able to exercise back then. I would do an hour a day on the bike, often 90 minutes. But that was years and years ago and it's just not going to happen again. My foot won't allow it.

I think this insurance thing is just plain wrong! Insurance was offered when hubby took the job- he'd never take one w/o medical. And now they're forcing everyone into WW or another program? IF I could exercise, I would do it just to look better, but even when I lose the 10 pounds, I look heavy b/c of my bust.

I don't know- what can we do? We have to go get the physical and IMO they have more to worry about than a few extra pounds. Like RSD? But we'll see. I have a Pain doc appt tomorrow and I'll ask what I weigh. I have a month to take off some weight if need be, but it'll mean pushing my foot and back a lot.

Oh well, I'll do what I can. I need to find out what BMI they're expecting. Not looking forward to this!

Tigg was very good at explaining SSD; I was only going to say that SSD is based on your salary only, and the highest amt. you made in your work history.What that meant for me was that they based my SSD on the year I worked two full-time jobs. Glad I did that now!
I just read an articfle that said that a spouse could get social security based on their spouses income, but I don't think that applies to SSD.Hope this helps! Sandy:)