Social Security Disability Law: News and Facts

SSD 2022 Maximum Monthly Income Limit Rises from $1,310 to $1,350 Social Security Disability benefits are reserved exclusively for workers or former workers who earned sufficient work credits and whose physical or mental impairments are serious and long-lasting enough to prevent them from performing “substantial gainful activities” (SGA) for at least 12 months. Eligibility for SSD benefits requires a “disability” as defined by the Social Security Disability Insurance program guidelines. The definition of a qualified disability includes an inability to earn a monthly income higher than the amount set by the Social Security Administration. In 2021, an SSD benefits recipient could earn no more than $1,350 in earned income per month to continue to be eligible for benefits. Beginning January 1, 2022, the monthly income limit for SSD will be $1,350. What Income Is Not Counted? — Not all income you receive is considered “income” for purposes of the SSDI monthly earned income limit. Any unearn...

SGA is an acronym for the Social Security term substantial gainful activity. According to the Social Security Administration's definition of disability, in order to be considered disabled and eligible to receive disability benefits, a person must have functional limitations (mental, physical, or both) that are severe enough to restrict their ability to engage in work activity. SGA, or substantial gainful activity, is tied to a specific monetary amount; in other words, a monthly earnings limit. To put it briefly, if a person who is filing for disability is earning more than the SGA amount, their claim will be given what is referred to as a technical denial. When a case is given a technical denial, the denial occurs at the social security office almost immediately, meaning that the case is never sent to disability determination services and assigned to a disability examiner for processing. Translation: there is no point to filing a claim if you are currently working and earning at le...