If you’re qualified for disability benefits, you should know about the new rules that people who want to get these monthly payments will have to follow. The Social Security Administration (SSA) said on Monday that it is adding more requirements that may be part of its compassionate payment program.
This is part of an effort to speed up disability claims. Monday, the Social Security Administration said that two of the original conditions would have been changed, and there would be nine new conditions for compassionate payments.
New requirements for applying for Social Security disability benefits in the US
Neonatal Marfan Syndrome, PACS1 Syndrome, Renal Medullary Carcinoma, Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome, Costello Syndrome are some of the diseases that the new plan aims to help. These are the updated wait lists for heart transplants for adults (status levels 1-4), children (status levels 1A and 1B), people with histiocytic malignancies, and people with histiocytosis syndromes.
A statement from the Department says that the Compassionate Allowances program quickly finds cases where the applicant’s illness or medical situation meets Social Security’s legal requirement for disability.
Many of these conditions are very serious, so medical proof alone is often enough to back up these claims. So far, this streamlined, policy-compliant disability process has helped more than a million people with serious disabilities get their disability benefits. It now covers more than 280 conditions.
The SSA is using technology tools to ensure accuracy and improve productivity
Director of the SSA, Martin O’Malley, said that the move is meant to speed up the process of applying for disability benefits. In the statement, the commissioner said, “I am determined to cut down on the time people have to wait to get a decision on their disability claim, and we are making progress.”
Compassionate allowances speed up the disability application process for people whose physical conditions make them likely to be eligible for disability benefits. This helps with the goal. Also, as of July, government data showed that 7.2 million Americans were getting disability payments from the SSA. The total amount of disability payments paid out every month was $11 million, or about $1,500 per person.
The Social Security Administration also said that it checks applicants’ medical records to make sure that disability claims are real. The group says that technology tools are used to make sure that claims are true.
SSA uses cutting edge technology to quickly find possible CAL conditions and health IT to speed up the process of determining disability. Since electronic data can now be sent, Social Security can get, look over, and make a decision on a claimant’s medical information faster than ever.
SSA can speed up CAL applications by accepting qualifying conditions based on medical documents. This is especially helpful for people who need money quickly but can’t work.
Plus, more than a million people have already gained from this faster process, and the CAL program now covers 287 conditions. The fact that SSA decided to keep the program going shows that the agency is still dedicated to helping people in need as soon as possible.
Do recipients of disability benefits need to pay taxes?
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says that people who get SSI do not have to pay taxes because the federal government pays them. This is different from people who get Social Security benefits like retirement, widow, and disability benefits, which are taxed up to a certain amount. Most people who get SSI wouldn’t have to pay taxes if they don’t have any other major income.
On the other hand, the Social Security Administration says that up to 85% of retirement or SSDI payments may be taxed if each beneficiary files their own federal tax return and their total income is more than $25,000.
If the beneficiary files jointly and makes more than $32,000 a year, they may have to pay taxes on up to 85% of their payment. If a married pair doesn’t file jointly, they may have to pay more taxes if they file separately after getting married.