Social Security And Workers Compensation, How Are They Linked?

When you get injured in the workplace you need to file a claim for compensation. This will always be dictated by state law. However, the world of workplace injury law is not so simple, and there are many things that interplay with this. SSDI is one of these things. It may surprise you to know that Social Security does have a part to play in Workers Compensation, and that it is linked to how this works for many. Although not in the most basic sense on Social Security. When you are injured or if you get an illness from your workplace, and it prevents you from being capable to return to work as usual, there will be state and federal insurance set-ups that can help you in these situations. This is where SSDI comes in. So, if you get injured in your job, not only can a claim for compensation help you, but Social Security can as well. This is especially important for those whose workplace injuries/illnesses result in disability. 


Check out https://www.fbrlaw.com/attorneys/victor-fusco-esq/ for more information on how you can get help with following through with a workplace injury claim. If you have been disabled due to an injury in the workplace you could file to receive most worker’s compensation and also Social Security Disability Insurance. Although this is a complex procedure, it means that those who have suffered and are now unable to work are not left out in the dark, and they do have assistance to help them.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

SSDI and WC are the two largest benefit programs for disabled workers in the US. However, they are very different in spite of how they both help workers. A worker will be eligible for WC from the first day of employment, however, SSDI benefits are only given to workers who have a thorough work history. On one hand WC provides benefits for long term or short term disabilities as well as total or partial disabilities. With SSDI the benefits are only given to employees who have developed long term illnesses/ injuries that prevent them from being able to perform any gainful job, regardless of whether the disability is a result from being at work or not. Legally, these benefits are only paid to workers who are incapable of being able to perform any substantially gainful activity due to physical or mental impairments under medical determination. A disability needs to be so serious that they are not able to do their previous work but also that they cannot perform any other particularly gainful work. So, WC and SSDI are very similar but also have some stark differences. WC is applicable in any instance in which a workplace injury has occurred and causes disruption to the person's usual way of life and work. SSDI on the other hand is applicable only to disabilities, although these disabilities do not need to have strictly occurred in the workplace.

Worker’s Compensation

WC is determined by the state, and the processing of a claim for compensation after a workplace accident that results in injury or illness will vary from state to state. The benefits of WC can include medical treatment for conditions which are work-relative, as well as financial payments that will aid in replacing lost wages. Temporary benefits will be paid to a worker as they recuperate from their injuries out of work. However, if their condition is more long term, or has lasting consequences, thus resulting in a permanent disability, permanent disability benefits may be applicable. Prior to the introduction of WC, employees only had the option to open a lawsuit against their employer on the grounds of negligence. However, now things are different and workers do not have to take this highly complicated route to gain compensation anymore.

SSDI & Worker’s Compensation Interplay.

Both of these benefit payments are similar for injured workers, however, SSDI has a more broad coverage, and it is slightly more pedantic. WC is specific to particular cases, and it only applies to a worker who has been injured at work and thus cannot continue work as usual, either for a short period or for a longer or even permanent period. They are similar in many ways as both of these will help to keep injured workers financially supported in the case that they cannot work due to injury/ disability. For both of these it is wise to look up the state law on these benefit payments for the state in which you live and work in.