How Can I Increase My Social Security Disability Payment in Ohio?

On This Page

1. How Does the SSA Calculate Social Security Disability Payments?
2. Understanding Your Ohio Disability Payment and Why It Might Increase
3. You Can Increase Your Income by Working While on SSDI or SSI
4. How Working Could Decrease Your Benefits
5. Our Lawyers Can Explain How to Increase Your Social Security Disability Benefits

LEGALLY REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

December 12, 2023

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

There is little you can do to increase your Social Security Disability payment in Ohio. While you can work while receiving benefits, if you exceed a certain number of hours or make too much money, the Social Security Administration (SSA) may deem that you’re no longer disabled.

How Does the SSA Calculate Social Security Disability Payments?

Consider the following:

The SSA Calculates Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Based on Your Assets

The Social Security Administration (SSA) calculates your SSI payments based on these two formulas:

1. Your total income – your uncountable assets = your countable income
2. The SSI federal benefit rate ($841 as of 2022) – your countable income = your SSI payments

Your payments largely depend on your assets and how you earn income. However, the formulas are still the same. If, for some reason, you lose countable assets, report this information to the SSA. It could adjust your monthly payments after reconsidering your situation.

The SSA Calculates Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Using Work Credits

Your SSDI payments largely depend on your work history. To calculate your payments, the SSA will review how long you worked and what type of job you had. Applicants are eligible if they have a minimum of 20 credits, which is about five years of work. You can access your monthly payments through the my Social Security portal.

Understanding Your Ohio Disability Payment and Why It Might Increase

The SSA accounts for cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) in claimants’ benefits. Each year, payments go up by a small percentage. For instance, in 2020, claimants received 1.6 percent more than they did the previous year. For 2021, claimants will get 1.3 percent more than last year, per the SSA.

The factors that determine your benefits are already set when you apply. As noted, the SSA will look at your work history and countable assets to calculate your payments. This is possible because the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the SSA record each person’s income and their paid taxes.

You Can Increase Your Income by Working While on SSDI or SSI

There are some cases where you can qualify for SSDI or SSI and still retain the ability to work. Social Security Disability offers several programs that let you try working, but understanding how much you can earn without losing your disability benefits can be tricky.

You can work while waiting for Social Security Disability benefits. You cannot earn more than the current substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit and still qualify for disability. If you want to return to work when you already receive disability, you need to notify the SSA and follow its rules about reporting your earnings.

Returning to Work Could Increase Your Disability Payments in Some Cases

Your SSDI payment might be low because you averaged a low income in the years before you became disabled. In this instance, you can increase your social security disability payment in Ohio by working.

This could be true even if you never exceed the current SGA limit (which, right now, is $1,350 a month). For example, imagine you previously earned only $500 a month. If you get a job that pays $1,000 a month and work for several months, it could increase your disability payments since this is now your most recent income.

How Working Could Decrease Your Benefits

Here’s a scenario where returning to work can decrease your monthly benefits. You previously made $500 a month before you applied for disability. Hoping to increase your payments, you start working part-time and end up making $1,400 a month––just $50 over the SGA limit.

If the SSA finds out, it will decide you are no longer disabled because you can make above the minimum earning threshold. If it doesn’t terminate your benefits, it may reduce your monthly payments––the opposite of what you want.

Our Lawyers Can Explain How to Increase Your Social Security Disability Benefits

It took you so long to get approved for benefits. The last thing you want is to jeopardize your eligibility. Our lawyers can review your situation and explain how you can increase your monthly cash benefits. We can evaluate your initial application, examine your employment history, and explore your options.

We encourage you to read “Social Security Disability Benefits: What You Need to Know.” It’s penned by our co-founder, Attorney Cynthia Berger. Here, you can get answers to your Social Security Disability questions.

Call Berger and Green to Begin Your Free Case Review

The Ohio Social Security Disability attorneys from Berger and Green can pursue the disability benefits you need. Whether you are applying for benefits, appealing a denial, or want to explore increasing your monthly payments, we can help.

Let us review your case today. We know what it takes to get approved for disability benefits in Ohio and how to navigate the process if the SSA denies your claim.

Call to connect with our firm.