Federal Disability Programs

Federal Disability Programs

Federal disability programs which are typically limited to people under the age of sixty-five, provide services such as health care coverage, cash support, and direct supportive services to qualified people with disabilities.

Federal disability programs serve people of all ages but the majority of disability programs tend to be targeted either on children or on adults in their working areas, normally defined as from eighteen to sixty-four years of age, for the reason that the risk of having a disability increases with age. A lot of programs serving the working-age population include fraction of people in their later working years fifty to sixty-four.

Billions of dollars are used up on Federal programs for people with disabilities. In 1989, $85 or eight percent of all Federal expenditures was spent on disability programs aimed primarily on people under the age of sixty-five. Nine major Federal disability programs which consists of sizable percentage of people aged fifty to sixty-four are:

Social Security Disability Insurance
This Federal disability program is the primary social insurance program which protects workers from loss of income for causes of disability. The program provides monthly cash benefits to disabled workers under the age of sixty-five and to certain family dependents. The program is intended for workers who retire early (before the age of 65 due to disability.

Supplemental Security Income
Is a Federal disability program that provides monthly cash payments to disabled persons, blind, and low-income aged individuals.

Medicare
Is a Federal disability program that provides health insurance coverage to the aged (65 and above) and persons with disabilities under the Social Security.

Medicaid
Medicaid is a joint Federal and state program that recompense for the health care of low-income as well as medically poor individuals.

Workers Compensation
This program provides cash payments and medical and rehabilitation services to workers, or their survivors, who have disabilities or who have died due to on-the-job accidents or occupational diseases.



Black Lung
The Black Lung benefits are remunerated to coal miners who are totally disabled as a result of pneumoconiosis, a disease of the lungs caused by the consistent breathing of irritant mineral or metallic particles, to widows of miners who died from Black Lung disease, and to their dependents.

VA Disability Compensation Program
Is a Federal disability program that provides cash assistance to veterans with disabilities connected to service (Incurring illness or injury while in the service). Veterans can be employed and still receive benefits because employment is not a factor for this program.

VA Disability Pension Program
This program pays cash benefits to low-income elderly war veterans who have become permanently and completely disabled from non-service connected causes. This program is similar to SSDI and there are employability standards.

Veterans Health Services
This program consists of a national health care network which provides medical care to qualified veterans. Services must be given to veterans with service-connected disability, those with low-incomes, and former prisoners of war. Services provided are nursing home care, hospital care, and outpatient care including rehabilitation.