You may have heard that changes occur to your Medicare disability benefits when you turn 65 years old and have some concerns. The disability advocates and lawyers at London Eligibility want to reassure you that the health insurance coverage through Medicare and the monthly disability benefits payments that you have come to rely upon will not be taken away simply because you turn 65.

The following information about your Social Security disability benefits and their relationship to retirement benefits and Medicare will answer any questions and address concerns you may be having about your benefits. Keep in mind that the disability professionals at London Eligibility are always available to you for advice you can trust and skilled representation in all disability matters.

How Are My Disability Benefits Related To Social Security Retirement?

When you work at a job or through self-employment for a long enough duration, the Social Security taxes you and employers pay make you eligible for retirement benefits when you reach retirement age. If you cannot work because of a disabling medical condition before reaching retirement age, your work record could make you eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.

When your application for SSDI benefits is approved, the Social Security Administration uses your lifetime earnings record to compute the Average Indexed Monthly Earnings to determine the Primary Insurance Amount, or monthly SSDI benefit, your earnings allow to receive.

Because both SSDI and retirement benefits are determined in essentially the same way, the SSDI benefits you receive equal what you would be getting in retirement benefits at full retirement age. When you reach full retirement age, the SSDI payments automatically convert to retirement benefits without an interruption or change in the payments.

Some people may see an increase in the amount they receive each month after their benefits convert from SSDI to retirement. SSDI benefits will be reduced for individuals who also receive income from the following sources:

• 1). Worker’s compensation benefits.
• 2). Public disability benefits.
• 3). Pension benefits from working at certain government jobs not covered through the Social Security system.

If your SSDI benefits have been reduced because you receive income through one or more of these sources, the reduction does not apply to Social Security retirement benefits. You receive your full retirement benefit, so you will see an increase in the monthly payment you get from Social Security.

When Do Disability Benefits Convert To Retirement Benefits?

SSDI benefits convert at full retirement age, but that may not be when you reach age 65. It’s a common mistake that people make about Social Security retirement benefits.

Your full retirement age depends on the year when you were born. If you were born in 1960 or later, you must wait until you are 67 years old before reaching full retirement age. The Social Security Administration website features a chart showing the full retirement ages for different birth years. Use it to discover how long to expect disability benefits after 65.

Medicare Disability Benefits

When you qualify for SSDI, you also become eligible for health insurance coverage through Medicare; but it does not happen right away. Medicare, which you would normally qualify for when you turn 65, is a benefit available to SSDI beneficiaries after they have received monthly benefit payments for 24 months. If you receive disability benefits with a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, you become immediately eligible for Medicare coverage without the waiting period.

Medicare Hospital Insurance or Part A coverage is available without an additional premium cost to SSDI beneficiaries. As the name implies, it pays the cost of medical services performed while you are a patient at a hospital. It does not, however, pay for medical care provided during office visits.

SSDI beneficiaries may add Part B to their Medicare coverage to pay for the office visits and other services not covered by Medicare Part A. Adding the coverage requires payment of a monthly premium, but some state Medicaid programs pay the premium as part of the benefits they offer. Ask a disability advocate at London Eligibility to help determine whether you qualify for Medicaid in addition to Medicare.

London Eligibility Provides Help With Social Security Disability Benefits

According to the SSA, more than two-thirds of the people applying for disability benefits will receive a denial notice. The disability advocates and lawyers at London Eligibility put their years of experience and knowledge of Social Security law and regulations to improving the success rate for the people who come to them for assistance.

They have access to the most current information about disability programs and eligibility requirements to your questions and provide you with skilled representation in all Social Security disability matters from application through appeals. Learn more by scheduling a free consultation with a disability professional at London Eligibility.