Little things that affect your SSA benefits Work

0:01 Hi, everybody. Again, this is Attorney Anthony Reeves, and here is another little thing that you need to know about that may affect your social Security disability benefits after you win your case working. This is a question that comes up a lot, and the reason why it comes up a lot is because and a lot of times people get to a point where they feel that they want to try to go back and work. Unfortunately, what happens when you get disability benefits, people get paranoid because they're worried that if they do any kind of work that may have some type of impact on their social security benefits.

0:35 Let me give you a couple attempts. First of all, social Security is not dumb. They recognize that most people are at least hopefully most people will be able to re enter the workforce because their health condition improves. But a lot of times people don't recognize or realize if it'll actually happen unless they try. So. They have what's called a trial work period, which typically means that within nine months of during a five your period, not nine consecutive months, but nine months during a five year period, those work earnings won't affect your disability benefits, or it won't be counted against you. Now, for those of you who are getting SSI, we've talked about this already.

1:15 If you're getting money from any other source, even if you go and you try to work, that money is going to count against your account, against your Social Security, your SSI for disability insurance benefits, it won't. But for purposes of knowing whether or not your disability will be terminated or suspended, here's what you got to remember. Social Security recognizes that there may be a chance for you to try to test the workplace, work for us, or kind of go out into the work industry and try to work. If you work anywhere within a nine month between a five year period, that means you try to work for a month and then maybe you did stop, and maybe five to six months later you try again for a month or two and it

1:56 just doesn't work out. Social Security will not hold that again against you. It's what we call a trial work period, meaning they won't suspend your benefits during that time period while you are trying to re enter into the workplace. Two things that you need to be aware of what keep Social Security in mind if you are thinking about going back into the workforce or you're trying. After you go in, call them and let them know, because let me tell you something, if you are working and your earnings are reported, social Security is going to know why because your earnings are always attached to what your Social Security numbers, and they will get an alert in their database. Secondly, you want to let them know before it hits, because you don't want a

2:39 situation where they're investigating you because they think you're out there working and you're just trying to be slick and not tell them. I always tell people two phrases. You're going to always get more money working than you will be from Social Security. But also remember this. It doesn't kill your case if you are working, and it doesn't help your case if you're not working. So in any instance, if you have a Social Security attorney that you can talk to can kind of help explain these things to you, it'll go a long way towards helping you out. Just remember this one purpose. If by some reason you are thinking about re entering into the workforce and you're thinking about it, if you have two programs. One is SSI, one is DIIB. Under

3:24 SSI, any money you make is going to count against the resources you receive from SSI. However, it still falls unto that trial work period. I know I'm probably sitting here saying a lot where you're like, Okay, I'm so confused. So what does that mean? At the end of the day, remember this fundamental point. If you are thinking about going back into the workforce or testing the workforce, you are permitted to do so. There are some time parameters, meaning there are certain time length to times that you're working with will start to maybe possibly be used against you. If you're not sure, call Social Security. Ask them about the trial work plan. That's it's either the ticket to work or the trial work plan or the extended trial work

4:10 period. Excuse me, it's what we call the trial work period, extended trial work period, or the ticket to work plan. Just tell them I'm thinking about going back out into the workforce. In light of me thinking about going how will that affect my Social Security benefits? Get that information early so you're not one of those persons who goes out there and you work for like a year or a half months or something crazy like that, and then all of a sudden Social Security is on your back because they say you owe them money. Trust me, because that's one little thing that can truly affect your social security benefits after you win.