Your Social Security Disability Benefits Options

Q: Should I make my claim for social security disability under my own account, or under the social security account of my spouse who recently passed away?
A: Of course, for most people applying for social security disability, your objective is to receive the highest payments you can. Sometimes the largest social security disability payment will come from the survivors benefits you receive from a deceased spouses account. Other times, the largest payment will come from your own account. Either way, you have to choose which payment is highest, as you cannot have both.
When deciding if you want to apply under a spouses account or your own, calculating the highest social security disability payment is an obvious first step. It is best to check with the SSA to determine what those payments might be. Whether the payments are higher under your own social security disability account or your deceased spouses is determined by your current age, the severity of your disability, and your earnings record. If you do apply for survivors benefits, you will generally receive full benefits if you are at full retirement age or older at the date of application (or over 50 and disabled). If you are not disabled, you can get anywhere from 71 to 99 percent of your spouses benefits before you reach retirement, as long as you are 60 years old or older.
Q: I currently get my benefits from social security disability, but I want to switch to social security retirement.
A: In most cases, a person currently receiving social security disability benefits will automatically receive retirement benefits when they reach full retirement age. Most people who get social security disability have to do little or nothing to bring about the transfer. Speak to the SSA or a social security disability lawyer for more information.
Q: Is it true that everybodys social security disability claim gets denied the first time?
A: You have probably heard comments and complaints from many social security disability applicants that their claims are constantly denied; but in reality, not all first applications are rejected. In truth, the SSA has no rule in place that directs them to deny all first claims. One the other hand, it is also true that first claims are denied quite often, and that the highest success rate with social security disability claims is in appeals, not on first application.
Of all social security disability claims, about 70% are denied the first time they apply. Unfortunately, many of those who are denied do not have a full understanding of what they should do in order to be approved next time they apply. In order to reduce your chances of being denied more than once, it is important to have a through understanding of the social security disability appeals process. Speak to a social security disability professional or the SSA for details.