The Social Security Administration encourages disabled persons to return to work. Before considering a return to work, you should consult with your treating physician(s) extensively. If you find you are having troubles performing the work, you should cease the employment immediately and again consult with your physician(s) before attempting other, less demanding work. If you return to work successfully for a period greater than six months, you may lose your right to receive benefits.

Social Security rules make it possible for people to test their ability to work without losing their rights to cash benefits and Medicare or Medicaid. These rules are called “work incentives”. The rules are different for Social Security and SSI disability, but under both programs they may provide:

Disability benefits may be deposited electronically. If you are receiving a combined Workers' Compensation and SERS occupational disability payment, the payment has to be sent by regular mail. If your disability is expected to last more than three months, Direct Deposit is recommended because it is the fastest and most efficient method to receive your monthly payment.

If your medical condition is such that you are able to try to work, you can usually get a Trial Work Period, whereby your benefits would continue for nine months even while you are working. If you are successful, your benefits will then stop. However, if it turns out you are not able to complete the nine months, your benefits will continue.

You have to have been disabled for at least one year or expect to be disabled for at least one year. So, If you expect to be out of work for one year or more due to illness or injury, you should file for Social Security disability benefits.

Many disability insurance plans will pay a benefit if you return to work on a part-time basis. Since many plans measure partial disability by measuring the drop in income, it is possible to return full-time to a lower paying job and still be considered partially disabled. Residual benefits are computed by different methods, the most common being that a person will receive benefits in inverse proportion to the ratio of current income to the prior full-time income.

The state's experience and extensive studies have shown that the longer you stay off work the less likely you are to go back, and that leads to more wage loss and a lower quality of life. Permanent disability benefits will never make up for the money you lose by not returning to work, so these provisions were put in place to get you back to your job as soon as medically possible. Of course, for some people this just may not be possible.

It takes a little more to qualify for disability than it does to qualify for retirement. To qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, you must have worked long enough and recently enough under the current laws. For each year you work, you can earn up to four credits, maximum. Each credit is based on a certain amount of money earned; the amount of earnings required for a credit usually increase each year, as general wage levels increase.

We are required to deduct FICA tax from any disability payment for the first six months that an insured is disabled. The FICA deduction is based upon the percent of the premium that is paid by the employer. Disability benefits are also reportable income on W-2 forms.

Social Security rules make it possible for people to test their ability to work without losing their right to cash benefits and Medicare or Medicaid. These rules are called "work incentives." The rules are different for title II and title XVI, but under both programs they may provide:

If you are receiving Early Retirement benefits you can still work a maximum of 39 hours per month. If you work 40 or more hours your benefit will be suspended for that month. If you are receiving Regular Retirement then you can work unlimited hours and still receive your pension benefit. If you are receiving a Disability benefit, then you cannot work in any job covered by the Pension Plan. If you do, then your disability benefits will be suspended.

If you retired on phased or actuarially reduced benefits you will continue to accrue further pension benefits and your pension will not be affected. If you retired on ill health grounds your pension will stop as soon as you start work. If you retired on age or premature grounds you will continue to accrue further pension benefits but your current pension may be reduced whilst you are working. For further information see the Retirement - arrangements and planning leaflet.

Working does not affect OBRA eligibility. However, you may want to consider health coverage offered by your new employer (see employer-sponsored health coverage) because OBRA will only last for 11 months or until Medicare eligibility. Also, you will need to consider Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) work rules.

Most PAPs have requirements that are based upon insurance status. Unless a PAP has income requirements, working should have no effect on your eligibility for a program.

No. Employees who are receiving disability payments when a holiday occurs are paid according to their level of disability income.Back to Top

Yes. Medicare helps pay hospital and doctor bills of disabled or retired people who have worked long enough under Social Security to be insured for Social Security benefits. It generally covers people who are 65 and over, people who have been determined to be disabled and have been receiving benefits for at least 24 months, and people who need long-term dialysis treatment for chronic kidney disease or require a kidney transplant. In general, Medicare pays 80 percent of reasonable charges.

Patients may return to normal activity immediately after discharge if symptoms allow. No heavy lifting for 7 days.