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blu7493 · 08-05-2010, 09:54 AM

Does a change in household members affect a person's SSDI? Was my marital status a factor in determining my benefit amount? Need more income to survive now. How much earned income is allowed for someone recieving disability benefits? Data entry work or some type of computer work that I could do from home might be something I could do, if allowed. Don't want to do anything to jeopardize my SSDI.

SpineAZ · 08-05-2010, 11:24 AM

Are you receiving SSDI based SOLELY on your OWN disabling condition(s)?

If so then SSDI benefit amount you receive was calculated solely on your work and earnings history regardless of any income your spouse made in the past or makes presently.

Once an SSDI benefit is calculated an payable the benefit does not change based on household income changes or marital status changes.

There is a different SS disability benefit called SSI that is paid to those who are disabled but don't have enough work and earnings history to qualify for SSDI AND who have severe financial limitations in the family. SSI benefits can change at any time if household income or resources change.

If you want to return to work there are rules and guidelines under SS in order to do so. If at any time the work you do and/or the amount of work you do appears to indicate you are capable of full time work then eventulaly your SSDI can end.

More info on: www.socialsecurity.gov/work and http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10095.html#part3

jennybyc · 08-05-2010, 11:57 AM

Where divorce does come into play is when you reach full retirement age(66 to 67 depending on when you were born). If you were married more than 10 years, you can file as a spouse and get 1/2 of what is paid to your ex or you can be paid based on your own earnings, which ever is higher.

Even if you are on Social Security Disability Insurance, when you get to full retirement age, your checks revert to Social Security and you can then file as you or as the ex-wife on his earnings record.

As for working at home, SSDI allows you to make up to $300/month without lowering benefits(and that may have been raised...this was 2 years ago) and they do offer to teach you a job you can do at home and you can earn substantially more without jeopardizing your SSDI check or Medicare. In fact, I got so much literature on working on computers at home from SSDI that I was amazed at the range of jobs they can have you do.

You can also look at your state's rehab and re-training programs for training for a job you can do with your disability and it also doesn't jeopardize your benefits and may actually enhance your chance of approval as you are seen as a co-operative client. I got an entire computer system that works by voice through the state agency and then they sent someone to my house to train me. Then we moved out of state and they wanted it back but I managed to get a part-time job using it so got to keep it.

There are a lot of benefits out there but you have to search for them.

good luck...........Jenny

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