Everything you need to know about Social Security Benefits in Ohio: eligibility requirements and tests used to determine a person's disability.

1. Social Security Disability in Ohio

2. Social Security Disability Benefits
¤ SSD (or SSDI) benefits are available for people who are disabled
and can't work for at least a year and for people whose disabilities
are expected to be fatal.
¤ The amount of benefits a person receives depends on the
Consumer Price Index ("CPI") and a person’s income.
¤ The CPI is a measure of the cost of living for an average person in
the United States. The monthly maximum Federal amounts for 2015
are:
¤ $733 for an eligible person
¤ $1,100 for an eligible individual with a spouse
¤ If a person earns some income, the amount of benefits will be
lower.

3. Social Security Disability Benefits (cont.)
¤ In the state of Ohio, supplemental benefits are also available to people with
disabilities.
¤ The amount of supplement benefits a person receives in Ohio depends on his or
her living situation.
¤ If a person lives at home, in a community alternative home, or in an adult residential
care facility, she may receive supplemental benefits of up to about $500 for a single
person and $1,150 for a couple.
¤ If a person lives in community mental health housing, she may be awarded
supplemental benefits of up to about $300 for an individual and about $750 for a
couple.
¤ If a person lives in an adult group home or a residential care facility, state
supplemental benefits may be up to about $600 for a single person and $1,350 for a
couple.
¤ Note that if a person is receiving other payments, such as Worker's Compensation
payments or other benefits, she may receive lower SSD payments.

4. Social Security Disability Eligibility
¤ In order for a person to be eligible for benefits, she must
meet two main requirements.
¤ Passing the Work Test: A person has to have worked for long
enough in recent years to qualify.
¤ Passing the Disability Test: The Ohio Division of Disability
Determination must determine that you are disabled
according to the legal guidelines.

5. The Work Test
¤ The work test consists of two parts. A person you must prove
that she’s worked recently enough to qualify for benefits.
This is called the "recent work test.” The guidelines depend
on the age at which you became disabled. If a person was
disabled:
¤ before she turned 24, she must have worked for at least 1.5 of
the 3 years before she became disabled.
¤ between the ages of 24 and 31, she must have worked for half
of the time between when she turned 21 and when she was
disabled.
¤ after the age of 31, a person must have worked for at least 5 out
of the 10 years before her disability started.
¤ at the age of 55 but hasn't worked since she was 30, she doesn't
qualify.

6. The Work Test (cont.)
¤ If a person has been employed recently enough to satisfy the first part of the test,
she'll need to show that she’s worked enough over her entire life to qualify.
¤ This is called the "duration of work test."
¤ For this part of the test, it doesn't matter when a person worked. All that matters is
that she has enough total time employed to satisfy the requirements.
¤ The requirements for work duration depend on a person’s
age. For a partial list of age requirements, please go to
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10029.pdf.
¤ If the recent work and duration of work tests are satisfied, a
person’s case will be forwarded from the Social Security
Administration to the Ohio Division of Disability
Determination.

7. The Disability Test
¤ The second requirement of eligibility determination is the Disability
Test, which is used to determine whether a person is legally
disabled.
¤ The Ohio Division of Disability Determination will look at a person’s
medical history and all the records pertaining to the injury or illness
that has left her disabled.
¤ They may require a person to submit to a special examination.
¤ They will pay for testing and some of travel costs to get to the
appointment.
¤ The Ohio Division of Disability Determination uses five step
evaluation process to determine if a person meets the legal
requirements for disability.

8. Step 1: Are You Working?
¤ To be eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits a person needs to
be out of work for a year or more or be expected to be out of work
for a year or more.
¤ People who are working and earning a certain amount of income
typically do not qualify for disability benefits. That amount changes
annually. In 2014:
¤ For people under retirement age, the cutoff was $15,480.
¤ For people at retirement age, the income cutoff was $41,400.
¤ Those over retirement age do not have an income cap.
¤ If a person earns more than those amounts in a year, her benefits will
be reduced by $1 for every $2 over the limit.
¤ For those who are in the year of their retirement, benefits will be
reduced by $1 for every $3 over the limit.
¤ Everyone over retirement age will pass this part of the test.

9. Step 2: How Severe Is Your Medical
Condition?
¤ In order to be considered for a disability, one’s
condition is considered severe if it significantly
limits ones physical or mental abilities to do
basic work activities.
¤ If a person’s condition to be found not severe, it
would have no more than a minimal effect on
the ability to do basic work activities.
¤ If a person can do basic tasks, her condition
may not be severe enough to merit benefits. If it
is severe enough, she’ll go on to the next
question.

10. Step 3: Is Your Condition on the List of
Impairments?
¤ The state maintains what is called the medical listings of
impairments. It covers disabilities that automatically
qualify for benefits.
¤ If a person’s condition is not on the list, the Division of
Disability Determination will compare her disability to
conditions on the list to decide, if it meets or is equally
severe to the one on the list.
¤ If it's not, she may not qualify. If it is, she’ll go on to the
next question.

11. Step 4: Can You Do Your Old Job?
¤ At the step 4, the Ohio Division of Disability Determination
will see if a person can perform her past work,
¤ If a person can still do your old job, will be found not
disabled at this step.
¤ If she can't do your old job, she’ll then move to step five
of the process.

12. Step 5: Can You Do Any Other Kind of
Work?
¤ At the last step, Social Security will make a decision as to whether or
not there is any other work a person can do.
¤ The Division of Disability Determination will consider a person’s work
history, education, age, and other factors to determine whether
she’s capable of doing a different job.
¤ If yes, she won't qualify for SSD benefits.
¤ If a person passes all of these tests, she qualifies for federal Social
Security Disability benefits.
¤ A person’s living situation and needs will be taken into
consideration by The Division of Disability Determination to
determine whether it will award her any state supplemental
benefits.