Our firm sometimes gets calls relating to Partial Disability Claims. Sometimes a Claimant may feel they are eligible for this because they are no longer able to perform a previous job, are now working at a much reduced rate of pay, or will be out of work for a few months due to their medical conditions.
Unfortunately, with Social Security there is no Partial Disability, you are either disabled or not disabled, unlike VA (Veterans Administration) and Workers Compensation claims, which have a doctor give a PIR (Permanent Impairment Rating) stating the percentage of disability the person may have.
However, you can still be able to work a part-time job while collecting benefits or while going through the Disability process as long as you do not exceed SGA (Substantial Gainful Employment) which is $1,090 gross a month for 2015 for non blind individuals and $1,820 for blind individuals. This amount changes slightly every year. If you exceed this amount for a period of time your Social Security Claim will be dismissed based on the fact that you are exceeding SGA or you can even end up owing Social Security for the months that you have been overpaid.
Being able to work part-time does not mean that you are not disabled; because Social Security looks at work as can you work on a full-time continuous basis. The ability to only work a part-time job does benefit a lot of these Claimants who can still supplement their income while collecting their benefits. This is especially helpful to those who have low benefit amounts and need the funds to support themselves.
If you have medical conditions that prevent you from working on a full-time basis, please do not hesitate to contact us at (877) 817-4127 so we can determine if you would qualify for Social Security Disability.
