Overview
The Alaska Social Security Disability Insurance is a program where the federal government provides monthly cash benefits to Americans who were previously employed, have paid Social Security taxes, and are now unable to work because of disabilities.
You can start receiving benefits through this program five months after the beginning of your disability. It takes another two years to additionally start receiving Medicare health coverage.
The two main criteria for this program include:
- You must be insured
- You must have a disability that meets Social Security’s Standards
Insurance
Social Security conducts two tests to assess whether you are insured by examining your work history. You are insured if you pass both the tests. However, if you do not pass either one of the tests, you are not eligible for this program even if you have a disability.
Test One: Recent Work Test
You need to meet a certain criterion for this test, whether you have worked enough and whether you have paid your Social Security taxes.
Age your disability began you | u generally must have worked: |
Before Age 24 | 1.5 years during the last 3 years. |
Age 24-30 | Half of the time since you turned 21. |
Age 31 or older | 5 years during the last 10 years |
Eligibility is not judged based on how many years you were employed but on the number of work credits, you have. Considering the Social Security taxes, you have paid, four work credits are given each year. The Social Security tax is automatically deducted from paychecks.
Test Two: Duration of Work Test
The basis for passing this test is that you must have been employed and paid Social Security taxes for a particular number of years.
Age your | In your lifetime, |
Before Age 43 | Same as recent work test (1.5 – 5 years, |
Age 44 | 5.5 years |
Age 46 | 6 years |
Age 48 | 6.5 years |
Age 50 | 7 years |
Age 52 | 7.5 years |
Age 54 | 8 years |
Age 56 | 8.5 years |
Age 58 | 9 years before age |
Age 60 | 9.5 years |
If you were disabled before the age of 22 and are now an adult, you may opt for the Social Security benefit of Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB). Being employed previously is not an eligibility criterion for this program.
Disability
Social Security works in collaboration with Alaska Disability Determination Services to review your SSDI application and follows a five-step process to determine whether you are disabled.
Step 1
You are not eligible for SSDI benefits if you are currently employed and your monthly earnings before deduction of taxes are more than the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA).
Step 2
Your medical condition must be severe to qualify. For this, your medical condition:
- Considerably limits your ability to carry out basic work tasks for a minimum of 12 months
- May result in death.
Step 3
Your medical condition must be included in the Social Security’s List of Impairments. If your disability is mentioned on the list, steps 4 and 5 are skipped. These steps are also skipped if Social Security considers your disability to be as severe as any of the ones mentioned in the list.
However, if neither of the above requirements applies to you, Social Security evaluates your application through steps 4 and 5.
Step 4
If you can continue to work normally and resume the job you were employed at before, you are not considered disabled by Social Security and you are not eligible for the program.
If your disability does hinder your work, Social Security proceeds with Step 5.
Step 5
If you can no longer do the work of your previous job, Social Security then evaluates your skills and condition to determine whether there is another job you could do. If this is the case, and you can earn at the SGA level, you are not eligible for the program.
Application Process
You will need the following information to apply for SSDI:
- Names, addresses, and phone numbers of every doctor, hospital, and clinic you have been treated at along with the dates of treatment.
- Names of your medications
- Copies of your medical records
- Your Social Security Number and the Social Security Numbers of your spouse and any children under the age of 18
- A certified copy of your birth certificate
- If you were born in another country, proof of US citizenship and legal residency
- If you were in the military, A certified copy of your birth certificate
- Your most recent W-2 Form or if you are self-employed, your most recent tax return
- Information on any Workers’ Compensation you have received
- A summary of your jobs in the past 15 years including job title and dates of employment
You can start your application process online or by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 to make an appointment to apply over the phone or in person. You can also contact these numbers for any queries and complaints or at your local Social Security Office.
