Social Security Benefits For Blindness In One Eye
If you are partially legally or totally blind you may be able to qualify for social security disability benefits through the social security administration ssa.
Social security benefits for blindness in one eye. The medical history of your eyes is considered. The ssa uses substantial gainful activity sga as the first determining factor for benefits. If an applicant has good vision in one eye but is completely blind in the other he or she will most likely not qualify with that impairment alone. Vision problems or blindness are some of the most expensive chronic conditions with americans paying on average about 7 000 each year in treatment and management costs prevent blindness reported.
If you are able to earn over the sga amount you may not qualify. If you or a loved one is unable to work due to vision impairment the ssa may be able to help. If you do not meet the definition of disabled you may still qualify for ssdi benefits if your vision problems alone or when combined with other health problems keep you from working. How to obtain benefits for the blind the social security administration ssa deems an applicant to be legally blind if his or her vision cannot be improved.
If an applicant has a visual field limitation in the better eye he or. In addition to meeting the disability definition set by the social security administration you must also meet the work requirement. The ssa details how significant your vision loss must be for it to qualify as a disability. The visual capacity of your remaining eyesight is considered.
Supplemental security income ssi. If you re receiving social security disability benefits and you re blind you can earn as much as 2 110 a month in 2020. The social security administration ssa offers two programs that people who are legally blind or visually impaired may qualify for. This is higher than the earnings limit of 1 260 a.
Your better eye is considered. The ssa also applies another technical criterion. Your vision loss must be quite significant and if you have good vision in one eye you won t qualify for disability benefits. Social security disability insurance ssdi.
People getting social security disability benefits can continue to receive their benefits when they work as long as their earnings are not more than an amount set by law. To qualify for disability benefits with partial eyesight. As with any physical or mental impairment an applicant with impaired vision who applies for federal disability benefits social security disability or ssi can be approved on the basis of meeting the requirements of one of social security s disability listings or can be approved on the basis of a medical vocational allowance. Requirements to qualify for vision loss for an applicant to qualify for social security disability benefits for a visual impairment he or she must be considered legally blind and meet one of the two following requirements from the blue book.
For people who are blind or have low vision this limit is substantially higher at 1 820 a month as of january 1 2016.