Sickness Benefit
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OR:

Disability benefits are funds provided from public or private sources to a person who is
ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...
or who has a
disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...
.


United Kingdom

In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, disability benefits are covered by
Department for Work and Pensions The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for welfare spending, welfare, pensions and child maintenance ...
. There are numerous benefits available for people of different ages and different personal circumstances


Children under 16

*
Disability Living Allowance Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a social security benefit in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off ...
is paid to children under 16 who have some degree of care and/or mobility needs. In the past, it was available to adults aged 65 or under, but claims for DLA for adults are now being phased out and transferred to PIP.


Working-Age Adults (aged 16-65)

*
Employment and Support Allowance Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a United Kingdom welfare payment for adults younger than the State Pension age who are having difficulty finding work because of their long-term medical condition or a disability. It is a basic income-rep ...
is paid to people who are unable to work because of their disability. *
Personal Independence Payment Personal Independence Payment (abbreviated to PIP and usually pronounced as one word) is a welfare benefit in the United Kingdom that is intended to help working-aged people 16 and over with the extra costs of living with a health condition or a ...
is paid to people who have some degree of care and/or mobility needs. *
Universal Credit Universal Credit is a United Kingdom based Welfare state in the United Kingdom, social security payment. It is Means test, means-tested and is replacing and combining six benefits, for working-age households with a low income: income-related Emp ...
is currently being rolled out, with the intention of replacing Employment Support Allowance, as well as a number of other benefits claimed by both disabled and non-disabled people. *
Working Tax Credit Working Tax Credit (WTC) was a state benefit in the United Kingdom made to people who worked and received a low income. It was introduced in April 2003 and was a means-tested benefit. Despite the name, the payment was not a tax credit linked t ...
Disability component is paid to people with a disability work 16 hours a week or more, who pass the Work Disadvantage Test and claim another disability benefit.


Industrial Disability Benefits

* Constant Attendance Allowance is paid to people who receive Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and who are classed as 100% disabled. * Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is paid to people who have become disabled as a result of an illness or injury caused by work or while completing vocational training. To be eligible, the claimant is assessed to ascertain the level of disability they have, as a percentage. The claimant needs to be at least 14% disabled to receive the benefit. * Reduced Earnings Allowance is paid to people who work but have reduced earnings as a result of accident or illness caused by their work. It is only available if the accident or illness started before October 1, 1990.


Carers

*
Carer's Allowance Carer's Allowance is a non-contributory benefit in the United Kingdom payable to people who care for a disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. It was first established as Invalid Care Allowance in 1976, and married women were not eligible. ...
is paid to people who care for someone who receives the care component of PIP or the higher or middle rate care components of DLA. The carer must spend at least 35 hours a week caring for the person and the carer must not earn more than £120 a week *
Income support Income Support is an income-related benefit in the United Kingdom for some people who are on a low income, but have a reason for not actively seeking work. Claimants of Income Support may be entitled to certain other benefits, for example, Housin ...
is available to people on Carer's Allowance who work less than 16 hours a week and are on a low income.


Veterans

* Armed Forces Independence Payment is paid to former members of the armed forces who were left disabled after being injured while in the armed services after 6 April 2005. * War Disablement Pension is paid to people who became disabled as a result of an injury or illness that occurred or was aggravated as a result of serving for the armed services. The injury must have occurred before 6 April 2005.


United States

In the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, disability benefits for most Americans are covered and paid for by the
Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...
(a government agency). There are two main programs administered by the SSA:
Social Security Disability Insurance Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD or SSDI) is a payroll tax-funded federal insurance program of the United States government. It is managed by the Social Security Administration and designed to provide monthly benefits to people who ha ...
(SSDI) and
Supplemental Security Income Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested program that provides cash payments to disabled children, disabled adults, and individuals aged 65 or older who are citizens or nationals of the United States. SSI was created by the Social S ...
(SSI). There is also a specific program for children with disabilities. Five states also provide short-term disability benefits for workers who become temporarily unable to work due to illness or injury:
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, and
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. SSDI provides benefits to individuals who have worked and paid Social Security taxes. Insurance eligibility is dependent upon Quarters of Coverage (QCs), commonly called "work credits". These are allotted based on the earnings for each quarter the individual has worked. Work credits ensure coverage until they "expire" on the individual's Date Last Insured (DLI). Medical evidence must prove that the onset of disability was before their DLI to receive benefits. SSDI recipients become eligible for Medicare after two years of SSDI eligibility. SSI provides benefits to low-income individuals who are disabled and unable to work, regardless of whether they have worked in the past. Individuals must meet income and resource requirements. SSI also provides benefits to children under 18 years old, who are disabled and whose parents or guardians have limited income. The monthly SSI payment is calculated based upon the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR), and the individual's income. Most SSI recipients are immediately eligible for
Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...
and
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal government program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income persons to help them maintai ...
(SNAP), though program requirements vary by state. Some individuals are eligible for both SSI and SSDI.


Canada

In Canada, there are a variety of public Disability Benefit Programs. The largest programs are the
Canada Pension Plan The Canada Pension Plan (CPP; ) is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It is one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other being Old Age Security (OAS). Other parts of Canada's retir ...
and Quebec Pension Plan disability benefits, and provincial
workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...
and
social assistance Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
programs. Some individuals, in addition, have private disability insurance coverage, purchased either individually, or through an employer. Different programs use different rules to decide whether or not someone is eligible for benefits.


Canada Pension Plan (CPP) / Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) Disability Benefits

To access
Canada Pension Plan The Canada Pension Plan (CPP; ) is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It is one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other being Old Age Security (OAS). Other parts of Canada's retir ...
or the Quebec Pension Plan disability benefits, an individual needs to have a disability that is "severe and prolonged", and which prevents them from working on a regular basis. As of 2018, CPP disability benefits are a minimum of $485.20 a month. Individuals who have contributed more to CPP or QPP during their working career receive higher benefits. The average monthly CPP disability benefit was $971.23 in 2018 and the maximum monthly amount was $1,335.83. People receiving CPP disability benefits may earn up to $5,500 a year without losing their benefits. Benefits stop when an individual has the ability to work regularly, or is no longer disabled. When an individual reaches the age of 65, CPP Disability Benefits are replaced by a Retirement Pension.


Employment Insurance Sickness Benefit (EI Insurance)

Employment Insurance is a benefit plan that offers temporary financial assistance to those individuals who cannot work due to sickness, injury, or quarantine. To be eligible to receive EI sickness benefits: * The individual's earnings have been reduced by at least 60% * He/She is employed in insurable employment * A minimum of 600 hours has been accumulated in the qualifying period People are only eligible for these benefits if they are unable to work due to their sickness, injury, or quarantine, but would be able to work otherwise. To receive EI sickness benefit a medical certificate signed by the doctor is required. To qualify for EI you must have a required amount of insurable employment hours, which are used to calculate your benefit period, these insurable employment hours must be accumulated throughout the qualifying period. The qualifying period: * 52 week period before the EI claim date * Start date of previous EI benefit period to the start of the new date It is important to note that each individual's case is different and requirements may vary from case to case. But a general way of calculating EI benefits is 55% of the average insurable weekly earnings. The maximum amount you can be eligible for as of January 1, 2018 is $51,700. Typically EI sickness benefits can only be paid for up to 15 weeks, but can vary depending on how long the individual is unable to work. Weekly EI sick benefits are calculated based on income before it has been deducted during the individuals "best weeks". Best weeks are the weeks in which the individual earned the most amount, including any tips and commissions, the best weeks are chosen out of the qualifying period. In Canada, areas with high rates of unemployment will use the best 14 weeks, and in areas with low unemployment rates will use the best 35 weeks.


References

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