Ask Larry

Does Social Security Still Consider Me Disabled?

Hi Larry,
I was approved for SSI after the first try... I have Bipolar and Schizophrenia .... My medical records were very extensive...
My question is this... I received SSI for a little over a year, before My husband was approved for SSDI....for ruptured disks... They reduced my payments to zero and cut off my Medicaid ... We only get $1733 after His Medicare comes out... not enough to live...
Do they still consider Me disabled if I get no check or medical?.. The only thing the letter said, was... the new income to the household increased.... so, do they penalize you,in benefits... because You are married?
He was 55 and I was around 49 when we started to receive them.. my SSI came first $733 a month in LOUISIANA.... when I started receiving it...... He worked about 30 years as a machinest...
Making very good money... will His ESOP account affect our benefits ?
We had to have it... He was allowed to get it early,because of being disabled..... we became homeless... We had no choice...He did pay $26 k in federal taxes off the top.... Thanks, for helping... I look forward to Your answer...

Hi,

SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a needs based benefit, and your spouse's income and resources can be considered in determining whether or not you qualify. It sounds like the suspension of your SSI benefits had nothing to do with your disability, but instead resulted from an increase in your husband's income as a result of his eligibility for Social Security disability benefits (SSDI). So, yes, Social Security probably still considers you to be disabled, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you meet the other requirements for SSI (https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/).

SSDI is an earned benefit based on a person's past work and earnings on which they paid Social Security taxes. I don't know what you mean by an ESOP account, but your husband can still be eligible for SSDI regardless of how much money he has in the bank or other types of investments. The only things that could affect his SSDI eligibility would be a return to work, or if Social Security reviews his case and believes that he is no longer medically disabled.

If you don't qualify for Social Security on your own record you could potentially qualify for spousal benefits on your husband's SSDI record, but you must be at least age 62 or have an eligible child of his in your care in order to be eligible (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.03/handbook-0305.html).

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
Nov 17 2017 - 7:15am
MaxiFi software running on a laptop
Get What's Yours!
Discover tens of thousands in extra retirement dollars with Maximize My Social Security software!
  • Find your maximized strategy
  • Unlimited what-ifs
  • Step-by-Step filing instructions
  • Our software's lifetime-benefit increase for an illustrative couple earning $65K each and planning to take retirement benefits at 62.

    Results will differ based on your specific case and filing strategy.

Getting Started is Easy
Web-based software. Works on ALL browsers. No download.