Guest guest Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Matt, You cannot be on unemployment benefits and US Federal SSDI benefits at the same time. The criteria for unemployment is that you are out of work. The criteria for SSDI benefits is that you are UNABLE TO WORK due to being found disabled under SSDI 'rules'. If your company has some sort of long term disability coverage (LTD), once you stop work due to disability, that may be used while you apply for SSDI. Applying for SSDI has nothing to do with your 401K. SSDI is based on your work record, not assetts. However, SSI is for no/low income persons who are found disabled under the same rules as SSDI. If you applied for that (SSI) with a 401K you would be rejected due to amount of assetts. Gretchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Matt, It will help if you start having documented problems on the job due to you decreased ability. It would help even more if you were discharged due to inability to perform. Your severance package will not count as income earned by working, and if it is large enough for you to survive on for six months that is a good thing. As Gretchen pointed out going on long term disability would be a good thing, the problem is that you've been working in your condition and are being discharged because of lack of work not because you can no longer do the job; that will be problematic. Simply showing up at the Social Security office and saying that you've got CMT is not reason enough for granting disability payments, and quite frankly, living on disability sucks. If you've got skills that are transferable to a new viable career, life would most likely be better. If you got enough other income so that your disability payment is a supplement then life will be good as well. You will not be eligible Medicare until 2 years after you start disability payments, however if you return to work you can keep Medicare for 95 months. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Matt, One thing to keep in mind, if you are planning to go out on disability before the company goes out of business... Employer-sponsored long term disability and healthcare benefits will cease to exist when the company goes out of business. In other words, there will be no COBRA or disability payments when the company is gone. One option is to try to get another job with a company that has long term disability benefits, work as long as you can, then go out on disability later when you can no longer work. If, however, you're already unable to work any longer, then you may want to speak with the HR department now about any short term/long disability options, while they still exist. As mentioned, after six months of disability, Social Security disability will kick in, if you apply and qualify (not based on income/assets, but your lack of ability to work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 > > The company I work for will be closing in a year (give or take) we will be getting a WARN letter (60 days notice) when it is my department time. After that we may apply for unemployment. I am 42 and have had CMT my whole life and have been getting worse and was going to apply for disability. My questions are: 1. can I get unemployment and file for disability at the same time? 2. how does a severance package affect disability? 3. how does 401k affect? > Any help would be greatly appreciated. > Thanks, > Matt > 1) No, you must be able to work to get unemployment 2) Severance doesn't matter to SSDI 3) 401 does not effect SSDI A assume you have looked up the criteria for qualifying for SSDI and think you do or soon will qualify. You can check here: http://www.ssa.gov/dibplan/dqualify5.htm http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/ You will not qualify just because you have CMT. You must be unable to perform any substantial gainful work for which you are reasonable qualified based on age education and work history. You r age of 42 will work against an SSDI app because SS will consider that you are young enough to make a transition to different employment. That doesn't mean such employment has to be available to you, just that you can do it. In my opinion it will look strange iof you apply right when your employer closes ..... all an all your situation has to seem reasonable to the SSA examiner and this would seem strange. IF you can document with a letter from a manager that you were kept on even though you were less and less able to do the job, it might help. Since you are young, look into Vocational Rehab in your state. especially wilh a closing and your relatively young age they may be able to pay for schooling that would get you into a job you are able to perform. Good luck. You might also want to join the Yah Social Security Disability group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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