Being a disabled worker in Ohio is not an easy situation. You find yourself unable to work and earn income. You apply for a benefit program, like Social Security disability insurance (SSDI), and you wait for the application process to run its course. You hope your application is accepted and your payments begin, but sometimes it may be months before you receive your first benefit payment.
For those with very serious, terminal illnesses, the waiting may be too much. With a five-month wait before your first benefit check, some of these disabled workers could die before they receive any SSDI benefits.
On July 17, three senators, including Sherrod Brown from Ohio, introduced a bill in the Congress that would expedite payments to these terminally ill disabled workers. Brown noted, “This bill would ensure that those certified to have a terminal illness can receive the Social Security Disability Insurance they deserve, and the peace of mind that comes with it.”
If passed, the legislation would permit the Social Security Administration to begin payments of SSDI benefits to these terminally ill disabled workers immediately. The bill would enable them to receive 50 percent of their SSDI benefit within the first month and their full benefit payment by month three.
For those suffering a terminal illness, the stress and heartbreak can be overwhelming. By removing some of the uncertainty from the SSDI application process and providing these terminally ill workers their benefits quickly, this bill can at least lighten their burden, however slightly, in their final months.
Source: insurancenewsnet.com, “Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expedite Social Security Benefits for Terminally Ill,” July 18, 2013