Q: How long before I am covered for Medicare?
A: If you talk to a social security lawyer, he or she will talk about Medicare for retired persons as fairly simple. If you are 65 years old or older, and worked for at least ten years in a Medicare covered job, you will generally be eligible for Medicare even if you’re working. Even if you are under 65, it is possible to be eligible for Medicare coverage if you suffer from a disability. But you may want to talk to a social security lawyer about some of the complications involved in getting Medicare due to disability.
If you don’t talk to a social security lawyer or advocate when your disability first presents itself, you may not know that you will have to wait 24 months for Medicare coverage. This waiting period begins at the time you become disabled. To be eligible for Medicare due to a disability, you must also quality for Social Security Disability benefits. Unfortunately, the combination of the waiting periods for both social security disability and Medicare coverage can make for a very long Medicare wait. You may want to talk to a social security lawyer for a better idea of the time frame.
Q: The SSA says I am short one credit to apply for disability insurance. What, exactly, do they mean?
A: The SSA has so much small print and obscure rules that nobody but a social security lawyer could learn them all. In order to qualify as “insured” under SSD, most adults need to have earned 20 credits during the last ten years (counting towards your total number of working credits). This 10 year rolling period should end when the SSA deems your disability to have started.
Sadly, though, the rules that go into determining how many credits you have and need for the last ten years of work makes meeting your credit requirements rather difficult. A social security lawyer will tell you that this often happens when an applicant simply hasn’t worked enough. But it also can happen due to delays in application, or a “disability onset date” which is adjusted by a judge or other official during the application process. If this happens, your first step should be to consult a social security lawyer or advocate to find out your options.
Q: If I have an SSD claim pending, can I still work?
A: Your social security lawyer will describe disability that is eligible for benefits as any that keeps you from earning a substantial income. Eligibility doesn’t, however, require you not to work at all. If the salary you earn with your work falls below a certain limit (which is set annually but the SSA), you may still be approved for benefits. You may want to speak with a social security lawyer to learn more.