The amount of work you need depends on your age at the time disability starts
Before age 24
1-1/2 years of work in a three-year period before becoming disabled
Age 24-31
work during half the time between age 21 and the time the disability began
Age 31 or older
work during five out of the 10 years before the disability began
Benefits are calculated based on your entire work history
Over 8.5 million
disabled workers receive disability insurance
A diverse group, including people with:
Mental Impairments | Sensory Disabilities | Physical Disabilities |
---|---|---|
29.7% of disabled worker beneficiaries and 34.6% of all disabled beneficiaries are receiving benefits based on significant intellectual disabilities or severe illness. | 9.6% of disabled workers and 9.7% of all disabled beneficiaries are receiving benefits based on nervous system and sense organ impairments. | 33.2% of disabled worker beneficiaries and 29.7% of all disabled beneficiaries are receiving benefits based on musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases. |
The average disability worker benefit:
$1,234
per month
cf. FPL for an individual: $1,065 per month
Even with disability insurance:
1 in 4 beneficiaries live in poverty and most are low-income (<200% FPL).
More than 11% of disabled workers are poor enough that they qualify for SSI.
More than 38% of disabled workers and 43% of all disabled beneficiaries receive less than $1000 per month.