Work Incentives and Benefits Planning
Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working (Updated December 30, 2017)
Disability Benefits 101: Working with a Disability in California
You may have heard many myths about how working will affect your disability benefits and health care coverage. You may be afraid that you will lose your benefits if you work. You may be concerned about how to get your benefits back if you stop working or need to work fewer hours because of your disability. We want to give you the facts about those myths so you will feel comfortable and safe beginning, or returning to, work, and so you won’t worry about losing your benefits before you are ready.
The Social Security Administration has built many safeguards into their benefits programs that will let you begin working without losing your benefits. These safeguards are ways to keep your cash benefits and health insurance benefits, if you still need them, when you go to work or change the number of hours that you work.
- Myth #1: I can’t work because of my disability.
- Myth #2: I will lose my SSI/SSDI checks when I start to work.
- Myth #3: If I work, I will lose my health care benefits.
- Myth #4: If I start working, Social Security will decide I’m not disabled anymore.
- Myth #5: There are no resources that can help me find and keep a job.
- Myth #6: I can’t afford the extra costs of starting to work.
- Myth #7: I don’t need my benefits as long as I have a job, but if I have to stop working I won’t be able to get my benefits back.
The Social Security Administration published a brochure titled “Working While Disabled: How We Can Help” that is available here in both English and Spanish.