Special Rules For People Who Are Blind Disability Planner

We should be aware that disability might happen to anyone of us, and that a 20-year-old working person has a 3-in-10 chance of becoming disabled before he/she reaches retirement age. Unfortunately, however, very few of us realize the gravity of such a situation and pay scant attention to any possible safety net we can fall back on should we become disabled. Social Security can be of great help should such a situation arise.

It won't harm anyone if he/she reads carefully a disability planner that explains the benefits available, criteria for qualification, and who can get benefits on your earnings record. The disability planner also explains how to apply for the benefits and what happens when one's application is approved.

In order to be eligible for benefits, a person must first have worked in jobs covered by Social Security. Then the person must have a medical condition that meets Social Security's definition of disability. Generally, monthly cash benefits are paid to people who are unable to work for a year or more because of a disability.

There are, however, some special rules for people who are blind or have low vision. A person is considered legally blind under Social Security rules if his/her vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in his/her better eye, or if his/her visual field is 20 degrees or less, even with a corrective lens. There are quite a few people who fulfill the legal criteria of blindness but still have some sight, and may be able to read bigger print and get around without a cane or a guide dog.

If a person fails to meet the legal definition of blindness, he/she may still qualify for disability benefits if his/her vision problems alone or combined with other health problems prevent him/her from working.

There are several special rules for people who are blind that duly acknowledge the severe impact of blindness on a person's ability to work. For example, the monthly earnings limit for people who are blind is usually more than the limit that that is applicable for non-blind disabled workers. This amount changes annually, and it is $1640 in 2009, increasing from $5170 in 2008.

In most cases, benefits continue until a person is able to work again on a regular basis. There are also some special rules, known as "work incentives," that provide continued benefits and health care coverage to help a person make the transition back to work.

If a person is getting Social Security disability benefits when he/she attains full retirement age, his/her disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits, but the amount remains the same. When the application of a person is approved, his/her first Social Security benefit is paid for the sixth full month after the date his/her disability began.

For example, if the person's disability began on July 15, 2008, your first benefit would be paid for the month of January 2009, the sixth full month of disability. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they become payable. This means that the benefit due for December would be paid to you in January 2009, and so on. However, one must update him/herself regularly as the Social Security Act changes all the time.

• Matt Thompson
• 15/06/2009, 12:59 AM
• 0 Comments