Qualifying for Social Security Disability with Alzheimer's Disease
Cendy Moliere - December 09, 2019 10:18 AM
According
to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s is
the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of diagnoses. An
Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be difficult for many families. Fortunately, help may
be available for you. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers financial
resources for people who are unable to work due to a serious illness.
Technical Eligibility for Disability
Benefits
Most people
qualify for Social Security
Disability Insurance, or SSDI. These benefits are awarded to adults who
aren’t eligible for full retirement benefits yet (age 18-65) who’ve worked
throughout life. So long as you earned around $5,000 in taxable income per
year, you should qualify for SSDI benefits.
While SSDI
is offered by the SSA, these disability benefits are still different from
Social Security retirement. If you’re already on Social Security retirement,
you cannot supplement your monthly benefits with disability benefits if you’ve
received a new diagnosis. This unfortunately means that the majority of people
with Alzheimer’s won’t qualify for Social Security disability, as Alzheimer’s
is usually diagnosed after age 65.
Qualifying with Early Onset
Alzheimer’s
While those
with Alzheimer’s disease usually won’t be eligible for SSDI benefits, it’s a
different matter for anyone who’s diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s. They
will be under age 65 so they’ll be technically eligible for disability
benefits, and Alzheimer’s is a condition that the SSA lists as disabling in its
medical guide of qualifying conditions, known colloquially as the “Blue
Book.”
To qualify
with Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease, all you’ll need is a diagnosis. So long
as your doctor used industry-standard tests to diagnose your condition (family
history, neurological exams, cognitive tests, etc.), you should have plenty of
medical evidence available to prove your case.
Compassionate Allowances and
Disability
Some
conditions are so clearly disabling, they’re expedited for rapid review. The
SSA maintains a list of conditions known as “Compassionate
Allowances” that qualify for this expedited review. Early Onset Alzheimer’s
is included on the list of 200+ conditions that are approved quickly. When you
apply for Social Security disability with Early Onset Alzheimer’s, you should
expect your claim to be approved in as little as 10 business days.
Keep in
mind that while the approval is fast, you unfortunately will not receive your
benefits for a full six months after you apply. You also will not be eligible
for Medicare for 24 months after
your claim is processed. This is one of the biggest problems with the Social
Security disability system—you’ll either need to have health insurance through
a spouse in the meanwhile, or you’ll need to pay for a private plan in until
your enrollment begins.
Starting Your Application
The easiest
way to apply for Social Security disability is online on the SSA’s website. If
you’re unable to type for extended periods of time, you can always ask a family
member or loved one to do so on your behalf. If you’d rather apply with the
assistance from a Social Security representative, you can do so at your local SSA office. Call the SSA
toll free at 1-800-772-1213 to make an appointment to apply in person today.
Resources:
E care
Diary: https://www.ecarediary.com/PopularTopic.aspx?CatID=2
Social
Security Disability: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/
SSDI: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/social-security-disability-insurance
SSA Blue
Book: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm
Compassionate
Allowances: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/compassionate-allowances/early-onset-alzheimers-disease-social-security-disability
Local SSA
Office: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp
Cendy Moliere works for Disability Benefits Center, an independent
organization dedicated to helping people of all ages receive Social Security
disability benefits. If you have any questions on how to qualify with
Alzheimer's or about the disability process in general, feel free to reach out
to our team at help@ssd-help.org