Disability Terms and Definitions

Optional Supplementation The payments made by States to help persons meet needs not fully covered by Federal SSI benefits. The State determines whether it will make a payment, to whom, and in what amount. Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) The provision that permits the exclusion from earnings of the costs of items and services which are needed in order for a disabled individual to work, which are paid for by the individual, and which are necessarily incurred by that individual because of a physical or mental impairment. Section 1619(a) Status The special SSI cash benefits provided to disabled individuals who lose eligibility for SSI benefits under the regular rules because they have earnings at the level that is ordinarily considered to represent substantial gainful activity. Cost-of-living adjustments Each January, your benefits will increase automatically if the cost of living has gone up. For example, if the cost of living has increased by 2 percent, your benefits also will increase by 2 percent. IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Survivor Benefit The survivor benefit is a lump sum payment that will provide benefits to the insured's eligible waiting period can also be the time period between when a disability occurs and when payments from the disability insurance policy begin. Mental disorder In DSM-III, a mental disorder is conceptualized as a clinically significant behavioral or psychologic syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that typically is associated with either a painful symptom (distress) or impairment in one or more important areas of functioning (disability). Family and Medical Leave Act The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 To grant family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances Mandatory Supplementation The supplementary payments that are made only to beneficiaries who were converted to the SSI program from former State assistance programs at the inception of the SSI program. PD Presumptive Disability. Only for SSI claims. Enables an early (presumptive) allowance of benefits for 6 months based on a substantial probability of a final allowance when all required documentation is obtained. A PD can be reversed to a denial, but the claimant does not return the PD benefits.

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	Did You Know?
	Alzheimer's Disease is a disability A progressive, irreversible disease characterized by degeneration of the brain cells and serve loss of memory, causing the individual to become dysfunctional and dependent upon others for basic living needs.