Throughout the United States, it is common for individuals to incur physical disabilities while performing their job function or overall in the workplace setting. With this statistic reigning true, state workers’ compensation programs are almost always in place. However, if you are personally enduring a long-term, job-related injury, you may be simultaneously eligible for the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits program. Continue reading to learn what job-related injuries may qualify for this financial relief program and how an experienced New Jersey SSDI benefits lawyer at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur can help you receive the maximum payout.
What types of job-related injuries may lead you to collect SSDI benefits?
Your incurred injury does not necessarily have to be job-related to qualify for SSDI benefits. That is, these benefits may be paid to any worker who has incurred any long-term physical disability that prevents gainful work activity. For example, say your back got severely injured in the event of a catastrophic car collision on your commute to your workplace. Then, say that your job primarily entails physical labor (i.e., lifting, bending, squatting, etc). Therefore, these benefits may apply even if your back injury arose when you were “off the clock.” But this is so long as your injury is expected to last at least a year, or sadly result in death. Plus, if the severity of your injury is enough to restrict you from substantial work activity in your previous job or any other field.
This is in contrast to how workers’ compensation benefits operate. That is, you may only qualify for this benefits type if your long-term physical disability arose while you performed your job function or while you were in your workplace setting. For example, if your back got severely injured when falling off an unfastened ladder in your workplace.
What happens to my workers’ compensation when simultaneously collecting SSDI benefits?
It is possible that the catastrophic accident you experienced, and the injuries you incurred as a result of it, may simultaneously qualify for SSDI and workers’ compensation benefits. However, there may be some restrictions to this.
That is, workers’ compensation and other public disability benefits may reduce your SSDI benefits payout. Specifically, these combined benefits cannot exceed 80 percent of your average earnings before incurring your long-term physical disability. For example, say you earned $4,000 per month with your previous job. Now, say that you received $2,500 in workers’ compensation and $1,500 in SSDI benefits per month. Well, to make your current earnings 80 percent of your previous earnings (i.e., $3,200 per month), your SSDI benefits may be reduced to $700 per month.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact a skilled New Jersey SSDI benefits lawyer. Schedule your free initial consultation with The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur today.
