How Much Does Disability Pay With Arthritis?

If you are approved for Social Security Disability benefits for arthritis, the amount that you will receive is based on your average lifetime earnings. You will receive an annual statement that details your Social Security earnings to date, and it also provides a disability benefits estimate. The statement that you will receive from the SSA includes estimates for survivors’ benefits and retirement benefits that your family and you could receive later.

What Happens When You Are Approved With Arthritis?

If you file a claim for disability benefits for arthritis and your claim is approved, your benefits will be paid for the sixth month following the date on which you were considered disabled. There are many different kinds of arthritis, and the condition can be disabling depending on the severity of your condition and how you are affected by it. It can keep you from performing regular daily activities and affect your ability to work and earn a living. In that case, you may be approved for Social Security Disability benefits for your arthritis if you can provide hard medical evidence that indicates the severity of your condition and how it affects you.

How Much Disability Benefits Will I Get For Arthritis?

If you have been approved for disability benefits payments by the Social Security Administration (SSA) because of the severity of the symptoms of your arthritis, your actual payment amount per month will depend on a calculation made by the SSA. Assuming that you meet the criteria for a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit payment, i.e. you have worked for long enough to have accrued sufficient work credits by paying Social Security contributions in your payroll tax, then the absolute maximum monthly payment would be $3,627.

The average monthly SSDI benefits payment for arthritis is a lot less than the maximum—estimated to be $1,483 in January 2023. The SSA uses a method that is the same as that used for calculating retirement payments, although on average, disability benefit payments tend to work out to be less than retirement payments. The SSA will use the highest average earnings you received over the course of your lifetime of working up to the date you became officially disabled.

The average monthly earnings are adjusted for historical wage growth. The maximum number of working years is 35, as the period assessed starts from the age of 22. This number of years would be reduced if you became disabled earlier than the retirement age (currently 67). From the average monthly earnings over that period of work, the SSA applies a formula to calculate what is called the “Primary Insurance Amount” or “PIA”.

Do You Get Back Pay For An Arthritis Claim?

The disability application process for an arthritis claim can be lengthy and time-consuming, so the SSA will award back pay based on the date that you were considered disabled because of arthritis. If your disability claim is successful, you will be owed back pay for the time between the date of your disability filing and the date that your disability application was approved by the SSA. Generally, most people receive their first back pay installment within 60 days after the date their Social Security disability claim has been approved.

Can You Get Retroactive Payments For Arthritis?

You can receive retroactive payments for as far back as 12 months before you applied for Social Security disability benefits with arthritis. This applies if you can prove that you are already disabled during that specified time. Applicants who want to receive retroactive disability benefits for arthritis must prove that they were legally disabled for at least five months before they applied for disability benefits.

How Do You Calculate How Much You Could Receive With Arthritis?

The SSA will determine how much you could receive in monthly benefits with arthritis by reviewing the amount of income on which you paid Social Security taxes. The SSA will review your earnings history to calculate your average indexed monthly earnings, which is referred to as AIME. After the SSA uses your AIME to calculate your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), they can determine your monthly benefit amount. They will use that amount and adjust it based on your age, which will then tell you how much you can receive each month based on disability with arthritis.

How Do You Apply For Disability Benefits With Arthritis?

If want to apply for SSDI because of arthritis, visit www.ssa.gov or call 1-800-772-1213 to get the application process underway. Remember that documentation is the key to a successful disability claim.

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