If you receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, then your doctor has likely determined that you have impairments that prevent you from becoming gainfully employed. If you\’re unable to support yourself with what you receive, then you may wonder if you\’re allowed to get a job. You may be able to under the Social Security Administration\’s (SSA) \”work incentives\” program.
In the event you start working again, the SSA will likely reassess your eligibility according to its \”trial work period\” rules and regulations. If the job that you take pays less than $880, then it\’s unlikely that the amount that you receive will decrease. If you earn between $880 and $1,220, then that amount may do down.
The SSA uses the trial work period program to give disability benefits recipients a way to test the waters to see if they may be able to work again. Under the program, the SSA will continue to pay your benefits provided that you continue reporting your income. They\’ll keep doing this for up to 60 months. Once you have successfully earned $880 or more for at least nine months, your benefits can be reduced or withdrawn.
Once the trial period has concluded, the SSA will conduct a more thorough review of your file. If your monthly pay has exceeded $1,220, then the SSA may discontinue your disability payments. If your monthly earnings fall below that, then they may allow you to complete an extended eligibility period of 36 months. You may be able to continue receiving disability and work earnings simultaneously during this time.
You may qualify for expedited reinstatement of your benefits if you reapply for disability payments during the first five years after you stop receiving them.
If it\’s been a while since you originally applied for disability benefits, then you may not fully remember just how difficult it is to qualify for them. The SSA has made it harder than ever for North Carolina residents to pursue SSD. They\’ve done so to weed out fraudulent claims.
This is why it\’s important that you have an experienced attorney here in Goldsboro to help you navigate through the governmental red tape. This may be the only way that you can secure or retain the benefits that you count on receiving.