Charles Spinelli: Applying for Workers’ Comp and SSD
According to Charles Spinelli, there are a number of significant differences to note between worker’s compensation (workers’ comp) and Social Security Disability (SSD).
1. Workers’ comp is insurance your employer gets to cover workers who get injured at work. It is considered protection for both employees and employers. Laws on workers’ comp are different depending on the state you live in. For example, in Georgia, employers with three or more regular employees have to carry workers’ compensation, so most workers have coverage.
2. Workers’ comp is given to you from your first day of employment. After a work injury, you may also file a workers’ comp claim to cover a huge part of your medical costs as well as supplemental income if you can’t work for a certain period.
3. In order to qualify for worker’s comp, your injury does not have to occur while you are performing your work duties. It does, however, need to happen while you are at work. That said, there are some situations where you may be covered if you are injured while traveling as part of your job.
Below are facts about Social Security Disability.
1. SSD is a federal program. Through it, benefits are given through the Social Security Administration, or SSA. If you have worked a job that pays Social Security, you have paid into your SSD through a portion of each paycheck, notes Charles Spinelli.
2. To get your SSD, you must have paid into SSD through your previous employment and earned enough work credits in the past 10 years. It would be best if you also were unable to work for at least one year or have a terminal condition or a condition that the SSA recognizes as disabling.
3. Like workers’ compensation, SSD provides you with income in the unfortunate event that you become disabled and unable to work. It would be best if you had a disabling condition that prevents you from working. However, unlike workers’ compensation, SSD does not need to result from a work-related injury or condition.
How to apply for both programs
The benefits from workers’ compensation, or worker’s comp, include wage benefits and medical compensation, explains Charles Spinelli. Moreover, if your work injury prevents you from completing acceptable workloads, you may be eligible for disability benefits during your recovery period. It leads to the question — can you collect workers’ compensation as well as disability insurance at the same time?
The short answer is YES.
While it is possible to get workers’ comp as well as SSD benefits at the same time, to do so, you will need to qualify for both. That said, you should also be aware that getting SSD benefits may affect how much you will be able to collect from your workers’ compensation claim.
Charles Spinelli shares important information on human resources on his blogs. Read them on this page.