INSTRUCTOR:
This segment will provide you
with a brief explanation of SSDI
or Social Security Disability
Insurance.
SSDI provides
benefits for people
who have worked in the past
and paid Social Security taxes,
and then at some point, they've
become disabled while working,
and they're eligible to
collect SSDI benefits.
Let's look at one example.
There was a man
who had low vision
and was legally blind
who worked in a factory.
The man worked this
job for 35 years,
and after working steadily
for 35 years in this setting,
his knees started to
give him a lot of trouble
to where he couldn't
stand on the job.
He had surgery to have
his knees repaired
and attempted to return
to work, but his knees
continued to give him trouble,
so much so that he was
prevented from doing his job.
His knees caused him
to become disabled.
However, because he
had worked 35 years
and paid his Social
Security taxes,
he had SSDI benefits to draw
from after he became disabled.
Now, it wasn't his
vision lost that made
him eligible for SSDI benefits.
It was his knees.
SSDI benefits are there
because every person who works
pays a part of their earnings
in taxes to Social Security.
If you look at a paycheck
stub, the Social Security tax
is shown as an FICA tax.
This FICA tax is
taken out of your pay
as a protection for you so
that in the event that you were
to become disabled
and unable to work,
this money is set aside
for you to draw upon
in the form of SSDI benefits.
