Dementia And Ssi And Ssdi
Once you receive your diagnosis, it is important to apply for SSI and SSDI benefits quickly, as it can take months to over a year or longer to receive benefits. You may be eligible for retroactive benefits, to cover some or all of the time between the onset date of your disability to the date upon which your benefits are approved.
You should know that to apply for SSDI benefits,you must have a work history that demonstrates you contributed a minimum requirement to Social Security through taxes. If you do receive SSDI benefits with dementia, once you reach retirement age, the SSA will automatically convert your benefits from SSDI disability benefits to retirement benefits.
SSI is a program for people that are disabled who have not paid enough into the system to qualify for SSDI. Unlike SSDI, SSI is a needs-based system that takes into consideration not only if you are disabled but also if you meet non-disability based economic considerations such as household income and assets.
For both SSI and SSDI, some dementia conditions can allow individuals to apply for a compassionate allowance, which can greatly help speed up the approval process.
Do You Need A Social Security Lawyer
If youve tried and gotten a rejection for your disability benefits application, dont be disheartened. It is unfortunate, but most people do have their application rejected the first time. What you can do is work with a social security attorney to help you file an appeal and get it accepted the next time.
Having a lawyer on your side significantly improves your chances, because they are more familiar with the administrative and legal processes involved. Consider getting one to help you from the very start for a smoother experience. You can also use your initial consultation to gauge whether your lawyer is right for your case.
Get in touch with us for a free consultation, and well help you get the process started as soon as possible!
How Much Work Do You Need
In addition to meeting our definition of disability, you must have worked long enough and recently enough under Social Security to qualify for disability benefits.
Social Security work credits are based on your total yearly wages or self-employment income. You can earn up to four credits each year.
The amount needed for a work credit changes from year to year. In 2022, for example, you earn one credit for each $1,510 in wages or self-employment income. When you’ve earned $6,040 you’ve earned your four credits for the year.
The number of work credits you need to qualify for disability benefits depends on your age when your disability begins. Generally, you need 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10 years ending with the year your disability begins. However, younger workers may qualify with fewer credits.
For more information on whether you qualify, refer to How You Earn Credits.
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Minutes To See If You Qualify
You have a lot to gain from a successful Social Security disability claim. A successful claim wouldnt just mean consistent financial support for your ailmentit would also grant you the kind of stability that you may have been missing out on for years now.
Unfortunately, winning a claim isnt a cakewalk, which is why you should consider consulting a Social Security disability attorney or advocate. Your attorney will use his or her knowledge and experience to fight on your behalf and help you get the benefits you needand you dont even need to pay your lawyer unless you win.
A successful Social Security claim could be life-changing, so dont wait to get an evaluation and talk to a Social Security disability attorney as soon as possible.
Alternative Ways To Qualify Outside The Blue Book
If your condition does not match the requirements listed in the Blue Book, you can still be eligible for disability benefits if Social Security deems aspects of your condition to be equal to a disability listing.
Additionally, if you do not meet the criteria listed in the Blue Book, you can still qualify if you can prove that your illness diminishes your ability to work.
If your condition is not yet in the Blue Book, you can still qualify if your illness is medically determinable, and that it either reduces your RFC or qualifies you for a medical-vocational allowance.
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Applying For Disability For Alzheimer’s
To help someone apply for disability, you can call 800-772-1213 to set up an appointment to submit an application for SSI or SSDI through your local SSA office. If you’re helping someone to apply for SSDI only, you can do so online. In your application, include how the applicant’s dementia is affecting his or her ability to take care of daily needs such as hygiene, food preparation, grocery shopping, and communication.
If the applicant has physical problems as well, or other mental problems such as depression, include these on the application. Even if a mental impairment isn’t yet severe enough to qualify on its own, sometimes together two or three impairments can qualify for disability.
You could be eligible for up to $3,345 per month In SSDI Benefits
There Are Three Types Of Vascular Dementia:
- Subcortical dementia. The most common form of vascular dementia. The smallest blood vessels in the brain become twisted and stiff, restricting blood flow. This is also called small vessel disease.
- Post-stroke dementia. This type occurs after an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
- Single-infarct and multi-infarct dementia. The individual experiences a series of small strokes instead of one severe stroke.
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Filling In Claim Forms For Aa And Pip
The claim forms for AA and PIP are long and very detailed. They include questions about the activities that you find difficult or impossible to carry out, and about your need for care and supervision.
Here are some tips for completing claim forms:
- When answering questions about your needs, think about the days when you need more help as well as days when you dont need as much.
- It will help your claim if you can provide supporting evidence such as information about medication, care plans or medical reports from your doctor.
- If your condition varies over time, it may be useful to keep a diary of symptoms and needs over a few weeks to include with your claim.
- Its very important to get advice on filling in the form to make sure you provide all the information that is needed. Contact an organisation such as Citizens Advice or Age UK for help.
Find out how to claim disability and mobility benefits.
What We Mean By Disability
The definition of disability under Social Security is different than other programs. Social Security pays only for total disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability.
We consider you to have a qualifying disability under Social Security rules if all the following are true:
- You cannot do work and engage in substantial gainful activity because of your medical condition.
- You cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition.
- Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
This is a strict definition of disability. Social Security program rules assume that working families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term disabilities, including workers’ compensation, insurance, savings, and investments.
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Assessing Your Residual Functional Capacity
If for some reason your dementia symptoms do not fully meet or equal a disability listing, the SSA will evaluate your residual functional capacity given all the evidence submitted. Your RFC will show what basic work activities you are able to perform on a regular basis or during a full-time, 40-hour workweek.
From a physical standpoint, you may be restricted to sedentary, light or medium work. From a mental standpoint, you may be restricted to simple, semi-skilled or skilled positions. For dementia claimants whose cognitive skills have greatly declined, they may be unable to work at all and be deemed disabled.
Suffering from personality changes that impact your capacity to work and interact with others will likely restrict you from jobs that require close contact with customers, co-workers or supervisors.
Medications for dementia treatment can cause adverse effects, like feeling fatigued. If you suffer from fatigue that limits your ability to do physical tasks, you may be limited to sedentary or light work.
Getting Ssdi For Dementia
Getting SSDI is often a matter of applying under the Social Security Administration listing for the associated condition. Requirements vary by condition. For example, a person with Alzheimers would need to establish that symptoms including memory loss, confusion and personality changes are present. These symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with a persons ability to care for themselves, maintain personal relationships and focus on daily tasks.
If a person has any other type of dementia, the individual must provide evidence that symptoms like difficulty paying attention, an inability to write or speak and a rapid loss of cognitive function exist.
The most important part of the SSDI application is providing evidence that a disability exists. A medical professional needs to diagnose the applicant, and records detailing symptoms should be established. Disabled individuals should seek routine medical care to ensure that a thorough record is established, and these records must be maintained by a licensed medical provider.
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Lewy Body Dementia Conditions & Symptoms
Although many of the diseases which are eligible for a Compassionate Allowance are rare, Lewy Body Dementia is not. In spite of the fact that the condition affects 1.3 million Americans every year, many medical professionals are still not familiar with it.
Early detection of Lewy Body Dementia is critical to the success of its treatment since certain treatments for Alzheimers and Parkinsons, diseases for which it is often mistaken, can have tremendously variable positive or negative effects on patients with LBD.
Dementia is a condition which affects cognitive skills, and usually occurs with the onset of age. Although roughly 10% of cases are the type which can be reversed, most dementia is progressive and irreversible, significantly impairing a persons ability to function in everyday life.
There are four types of dementia Alzheimers, LBD, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia .
LBD is a term used for both Parkinsons disease dementia and Dementia with Lewy Bodies . The dementia diagnosis depends on when the person with Parkinsons experiences dementia. If its within the first year, it is termed LBD. If the dementia occurs later, it is termed Parkinsons Disease Dementia.
The common conditions which occur in LBD are as follows:
What Happens If The Dac Gets Married
If the child receives benefits as a DAC, the benefits generally end if they get married. However, some marriages are considered protected.
The rules vary depending on the situation. Contact a Social Security representative at 1-800-772-1213 to find out if the benefits can continue.
1-800-772-1213
To speed up the application process, complete an Adult Disability Report and have it available at the time of your appointment.
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Special Rules For People Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision
We consider you to be legally blind under Social Security rules if your vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye. We will also consider you legally blind if your visual field is 20 degrees or less, even with a corrective lens. Many people who meet the legal definition of blindness still have some sight and may be able to read large print and get around without a cane or a guide dog.
If you do not meet the legal definition of blindness, you may still qualify for disability benefits. This may be the case if your vision problems alone or combined with other health problems prevent you from working.
There are several special rules for people who are blind that recognize the severe impact of blindness on a person’s ability to work. For example, the monthly earnings limit for people who are blind is generally higher than the limit that applies to non-blind workers with disabilities.
In 2022, the monthly earnings limit is $2,260.
As Mentioned Earlier Dementia Is Not Part Of The Normal Aging Process And Several Factors Can Contribute To Its Development
- Degenerative neurological diseases such as Parkinsons, Huntingtons disease and some forms of multiple sclerosis.
- Vascular disorders that affect blood circulation in the brain.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Infections of the nervous system such as meningitis or HIV.
- A long history of drug or alcohol abuse.
- Certain forms of hydrocephalus .
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Can You Claim Disability For Dementia
The Social Security Administration has set some criteria which you have to meet for an official disability described in SSAs listing of impairments and, if they find you disabled, then you can claim disability benefits for dementia. In case you meet the requirements of the disability listings, then the overall process of achieving disability benefits will quicken up.
The listing 12.02 is the disability listing related to dementia and neurocognitive disorders. The listing got updated in the year 2017 and to meet the listing you must have your medical evidence to prove that your skills have declined in one or more areas described below:
- Ability to remember and learn something
- Ability of planning and judgment
- Ability to make the right use of words which comes in the proper use of language
- Concentration power i.e., your ability to listen and pay attention to assigned tasks
- An individuals social behavior
- An individuals physical coordination
If, after checking your medical records, it is shown that you are suffering a decline in one of the above-mentioned areas, then the Social Security Administration will analyze whether your functioning is severely affected by any of the declines.
Precisely, you must have an extreme constraint in any one of the following areas or constraint in two of the areas described below:
Lewy Body Dementia And Social Security Disability
The Social Security Administration has been processing increased numbers of disability claims in recent years, a phenomenon at least partially due to the aging of the Baby Boomers. At the same time, the administration has felt pressure from budget cuts and limited funding that are the result of heated political debates about entitlement reform and reports of the Social Security programs fiscal insolvency.
All this has led to an unprecedented backlog of claims awaiting determination and appeal hearings, many of which take a full year or more to be processed. When dealing with a disability, especially those which are severe and life-threatening, affected individuals cannot afford to be waiting that long for the assistance that they need.
Fortunately, the SSA took action in 2008 to create a list of Compassionate Allowances diseases and conditions which can be quickly identified for faster claim processing due to well-documented evidence that they invariably qualify for disability status. If your condition is among this 100+ list of Compassionate Allowances, your claim will be processed in as little as a few weeks.
Lewy Body Dementia, among the 13 newest identified Compassionate Allowance diseases, will qualify beginning in December 2011.
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How Does The Disability Tax Credit Work
Due to the dire nature of Dementia, the disease may qualify for disability tax benefits from the Canadian government.
Many differently-abled Canadians, who are eligible for Disability Tax Credits or savings plans through the Canada Revenue Agency , dont bother claiming the disability credits theyre entitled to. They may be unaware their condition qualifies for aid, or they simply find the Disability Tax Credit application process time-consuming and tedious.
Dementia Is One Of The Major Causes Of Disability Worldwide Affecting Not Only The Individual But Their Families Friends And Caregivers
Though dementia primarily affects older adults, it is not part of the normal aging process and early onset of the disease can begin when a person is in their 30s, 40s or 50s. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 50 million people have dementia with 10 million new cases each year.
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Filing For Social Security Disability With Frontotemporal Dementia
When filing a Social Security Disability application due to Picks Disease, you will need to provide the SSA with sufficient medical evidence. When preparing your disability claim, be sure to gather copies of your medical records and written statements from treating physicians. These documents will help support your claim for Social Security Disability benefits and will increase your chances of obtaining a hassle-free approval from the SSA.
Expedited Processing For Early
Social Security has added early-onset Alzheimer’s disease to its list of Compassionate Allowance conditions, meaning that the agency will fast-track the processing of the disability application so that applicants with Alzheimer’s don’t needlessly have to go through the hassle of a denial and appeal as their symptoms get worse. Most applications that qualify for compassionate allowance treatment are approved within one month.
If you are helping someone apply for Social Security disability benefits, be sure to note on the application, or tell the Social Security field rep, that the applicant qualifies for Compassionate Allowance treatment and that the exact diagnosis is “early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.” Social Security will need to see medical records that include clinical notes documenting the applicant’s progressive dementia and an activities of daily living report filled out by a relative or caregiver. Results from standardized tests, such as the Clinical Dementia Rating scale or the Mini-Mental State Examination , are also helpful.
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