Substantial Gainful Activity for Social Security Disability

Substantial Gainful Activity

Substantial gainful activity, also called SGA pertains to Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.  Traumatic brain inujury survivors may be elegible for these benefits.  This information can be found at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/sga.html

To be eligible for social security disability benefits, a survivor must be unable to engage in “substantial gainful activity” (SGA). A person who is earning more than a certain monthly amount (net of impairment-related work expenses) is ordinarily considered to be engaging in SGA. Both SGA rates generally change with changes in the national average wage index. What this means is if a person is trying to get Social Security Disability insurance for a disability they feel makes them unable to work in the capacity that they were before their disablity, the maximum amount of income they can receive would have to fall under the SGA.

Unsuccessful Work Attempt (UWA)

If a person while waiting to see if they are going to receive benefits tries to work and fails, they may fall under the unsuccessful  work attempt exception. The period of time that they tried to work must fall under 6 months.

If you attempt to work and your work attempt lasts between 3 and 6 months, it must have ended because of your disability that make it impossible to work and suffer impairments such as:

You must have had frequent absences from your work due to your impairment; or

 

  • Your work must have been unsatisfactory due to your impairment; or
  • Your work must have been done during a period of temporary remission of your impairment; or
  • Your work must have been done under special conditions;or
  • You must have had frequent absences from your work due to your impairment.

 

SGA Amounts for 2013

For non-blind individuals, the monthly SGA rate for 2013 is $1040. The SGA (substantial gainful activity) for a blind person in the year 2013 is $1740.

Trial work period

After a person becomes eligible for social security disability benefits, the person may attempt to return to the work force. As an incentive, we provide a trial work period in which a the person receiving SSDI may have earnings and still collect benefits.

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