There are some people who decide to file for Social Security disability benefits without knowing what they might be eligible for if they are found disabled by the Social Security Administration. This is fine to do, but to better understand how and why a person is eligible for a certain amount, or not eligible at all for a type of program, it is going to be helpful prior to filing for benefits to understand some basic things. Below are some of the things claimants may like to know before they decide to apply for disability benefits.
PIA
The acronym PIA stands for Primary Insurance Amount. This is the monthly amount of benefit a disability claimant is eligible for if they are found disabled by Social Security. The PIA is based on years worth of earnings of the claimant and if found disabled they would be eligible for the PIA amount on a monthly basis. The claimant may also be eligible for backpay, depending on when they are found disabled, and the backpay is calculated at the same monthly amount.
DLI
A claimant’s Date Last Insured (DLI) is a key date in the disability process to be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits. When a worker is paying into Social Security a consistent work history is typically needed to be eligible for SSDI benefits. A worker earns credits to be eligible for SSDI should they become unable to work due to illness or injury and the general rule is that a worker has to have worked at least five out of the last 10 years to have enough work credits to be eligible for SSDI benefits.
There are just some simple guidelines to be aware of before applying for Social Security disability benefits. For more understanding of these rules visit the Social Security website at sss.gov.
