Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Written By Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
ContributorAdam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.
Updated: May 9, 2023, 3:02am
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More than 4.5 million adults in Florida have a disabling condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means as many as 26% of Floridians have a condition that causes them some type of impairment.
If you have an illness or injury that prevents you from being able to work, you may be entitled to Florida disability benefits. However, which benefits programs you can access depends on several key factors including your income, work history and whether your health issues are work related or not.
This guide to Florida disability benefits in 2024 helps you to better understand the types of monetary support you can receive when you are disabled.
Several different types of Florida disability benefits may be available to you including:
A Florida disability benefits lawyer will work with you to explore each of these options, determine which program(s) you can qualify for and guide you through the application process if you aren’t certain how to maximize benefits on your own.
Private insurance companies offer disability benefits. The policies could offer coverage for long-term disabilities, short-term disabilities or both. The amount of your wages they replace depends on the details of your coverage.
You may have disability benefits available as a workplace benefit through the company that employs you. You also have the option to choose to shop for disability coverage as an individual.
You should be aware, though, that you cannot take advantage of these benefits when you get sick or hurt if you haven’t already put the policy in place before the time you become disabled. So you’ll get income from this source only if you had a policy in effect prior to becoming impaired in a way that prevents you from working.
If you were performing work duties and you got sick or hurt as a direct result, you are entitled to Florida workers’ compensation benefits.
These benefits include not just payment of your medical bills, but also disability benefits for temporary or permanent disabilities. This includes both total and partial disabling conditions.
Some of the Florida disability benefits you may be able to receive through workers’ compensation include:
There is an Impairment Income Benefits Calculator available online that helps you estimate the Florida disability benefits you are entitled to receive under the state’s workers’ compensation program.
Remember, though, that these disability benefits are paid only if you can show your injuries are job related. The good news is, you don’t have to sue your employer to get the benefits or prove negligence. But, there could still be conflict over how much money you’re entitled to or how impaired you are, so hiring a workers’ compensation lawyer is important.
If you cannot qualify for Florida disability benefits, there are two federal programs that could provide the benefits you need if your ability to work is affected by your disability. These programs include:
For either program, you must meet a specific definition of disability set by the Social Security Administration. This means you must have a condition that has lasted or will last a year or that is a terminal condition, and the condition must cause you significant impairment.
Many Social Security Disability claims are denied initially due to the difficulty of proving you are actually disabled enough to get benefits. A disability benefits lawyer can assist you in submitting the strongest possible application for benefits and, if necessary, help you to appeal a denial and fight for the benefits you deserve.
If you are disabled, you owe it to yourself to explore all of the Florida disability benefits in 2024 that might be available to you. If you aren’t sure where to start or want help maximizing your disability income, call an attorney as soon as possible to guide you through the process of applying for benefits.
If you are receiving Social Security Disability benefits, you are entitled to an 8.7% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in 2023. The COLA is based on a measure of inflation which uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers to determine how much prices have risen year-over-year.
SSDI does not have an income limit for your household. It is not a means-tested benefit and you don’t need to demonstrate you have limited financial resources to get SSDI benefits. However, because you must show you’re too disabled to work, you cannot be engaged in substantial gainful activity (SGA) in order to be eligible. If you work and earn more than $1,470 per month (or $2,460 if you’re blind), benefits will not be available.
Florida does not have its own disability benefits program other than the disability benefits required under workers’ compensation insurance. If you were hurt at work, you are entitled to benefits through your employer’s workers’ comp insurer as most employers are required to have coverage. If you weren’t hurt at work, you can apply for benefits through the Social Security Disability program, which has a very high denial rate so getting approved is difficult. A disability benefits lawyer can help you to apply and, if necessary, to appeal a denied claim.