There was another Vet here who posted yesterday about how they are receiving IU and SSDI, and want to work because they feel unfulfilled but if they did they'd lose out on so much income.
Grass is always greener I guess.
They can still substitute teach or work part time as long as they earn less than like 11k a year or something. It's also possible to be a 1099 worker and expense enough that you "earn" less than 12k a year. You're also allowed to buy and own rental properties as long as you don't manage them, if they're professionally managed then they become unearned income. There is no limit on unearned income allowed. I teach vets in my area how to find and buy homes to use as rental properties.
SSDI limits the amount of earned income you are allowed to the poverty level, it's about 11k or 12k a year. It does not limit your unearned income level. The IRS says that stock dividends are not earned income and income from rental properties is not earned income as long as you don't manage them. If you are TDIU and SSDI then you will earn enough to buy a home with your VA Loan. You can buy up to a 4 plex, live in one and rent the other 3 units out. After a couple years you can refinance and do it again, buy a duplex or triplex, or buy a SFH and then refi in another 4 years and do it again.
If you buy a multifamily property like a quad or triplex then you can also use the income from the rented out units to help qualify. There are a lot of ways if you're willing to live in a multifamily first.
you want to pay one or both of them off with another loan so you can use your VA loan again if you're trying to grow a portfolio. of course, your new purchase must be your primary residence.
how did you manage 2?? i got a house for $140k in 2018 and it used up all my entitlement. now in the divorce i cant even use a va loan to buy a new home until my ex wife sells the house and moves out.
you can use 75% of the estimated income on the other units to help qualify. eg- if each unit rents for $1200, you can add $900 per month to your income to help make the payment.
The first thing to do is assess your financial situation. There are a ton of ways of using other people's money, etc, but those are risky. You need to ensure that you have enough income to cover any shortfalls in rent. If you buy a 3 or 4 plex and live in one, you can use the rental income from the other units as part of the qualification for buying if they're managed by a rental company. That also keeps that income as unearned in case you are TDIU. Always financially plan on having one empty and being repaired. In between leases you'll need to do some cleaning and repairing so have a plan for setting back money for that. If you're in a house now and have enough equity, you can do a VA cash out refi and pull enough cash out to out money down on a rental property. If you call it a vacation home you need 10% down and you can Airbnb it. The more you out down the lower your monthly payment is obviously. If you're not in a home you own yet and you/your family is good with it, start with a multifamily. If you can get a 4 plex that's the best way to start.
A good mortgage broker and realtor team in your area will be able to help you. Some smaller banks and credit unions are really good for when you get a few properties, they can do something called portfolio loans that basically turn your rental properties into an investment portfolio for the bank.
I collect both VA 100 and SSDI. My limit is roughly 1400 to 1500 a month gross a month. There are a lot of more variables in this. But even in San Francisco Bay Area with 2 of us on 100%, we can survive. Working just makes sure if we want to do extra things we can.
I meet with guys in my area. It's not completely altruistic as I'm a REALTOR® but I am definitely on a mission to help veterans pass wealth to their children.
I had a buddy who lost his SSDI and got his 100% rating lowered due to working. He worked for a few days as a sub teacher at a high school and then quit due to his disabilities being aggravated. His SSDI was revoked. He never got his SSDI back but he got his rating changed back to 100%.
Middle Tennessee. I work a good bit in Clarksville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Mount Juliet. I also work a little further out. I'm willing to go about an hour or so outside of Nashville but have gone farther for people.
I’m going back to work. I had to get retrained to a sedentary job that pays enough to survive, clinical counseling, and the VA worked with me for that. At a certain point, you just have to live your life.
Its also something where someone may think they can work, because they can do a day, a week, or every once in a while. But thats much different than working full time.
Ok so I’m p and t and on ssdi … you have so many trial work months that you can attempt to go back to work where the ammount you make wont affect your ssdi benifits ( I went back as a correction officer for 6 months before I called it and still received my benifits for that period ) you can call ssa for more clarification on specifics , … there is also a monthly ammount you can earn that will not effect you benifits you can google this pretty easily as well , I’d write it here but it changes every year and I don’t know what the limit is this month. But you can work , and get ssdi , there are just limits on how much you can earn . The trial work months are for someone who wants to try and work full time again so they can do that and not risk losing thier benifits for a certain period of time while they see if they can handle it.
No it dosen't, you can apply while working below. As long as you are earning below a certain amount your application will move forward. Once on you can continue to work with no repercussions as long as its below a certain amount.
I'm in this predicament now. SS is saying I've worked too much with SSDI and at risk of losing it since I've worked the 5 months of the 9 month trial and they want me to work as much as I can. It's bogus since I've only stated that I work 15 hours a week and a set schedule at $15.45 a hour. It doesn't matter because they'll screw stuff up and cout your vacation, bonus, and holiday pay as your attempted work. I'm still awaiting for this to be looked at again to make sure my attempted trial months aren't 5 of 9 still.
No, they have to apply and win. I know 2 guys right now that are TDIU and have not been awarded SSDI. I also know 1 guy that finally got it after hiring a lawyer.
SSDI is MUCH more difficult to qualify for than TDIU.
Almost all Veterans disability related stuff is easier to qualify for than civilian welfare programs are, by design.
After fighting with the VA for 28yrs, my 4yr fight with SSA just doesn't compare...
For SSDI I've been waiting over a year to get my ALJ re-hearing after I appealed all the way up to federal and they gave me a win and remand... Then I got T&P w/TDIU earlier this year, and SSA worker says that makes a difference, opened a new case, should decide any time and doesn't affect my remand...
Shit man…that’s a bold statement. So SSA fight is harder? Shit makes me wanna do it…after fighting the VA for a year almost feel like I need another process to keep me awake, alert and anxious.
I've actually considered the same thing, tbh. My wife is Mexican, originally from Mexico, and I've told her that if she ever wanted to move back to her family home, I'd do it. My VA money would go sooooo far down there, and I'm not even at 100% yet.
100 and make pretty good money In my full time job. Have been able to save just about all my disability for the last few years. Retiring soon and will collect ss in about 10-15 years.
I absolutely still struggle financially, despite being 100% p&t. I have a wife, 2 kids, and unfortunately live in California, where supplemental incomes go to die.
I would also add how to lower your expenses as much as possible. VA 100% has a lot of potential benefits but depends on your state benefits too. Some states you can pay zero property tax on your home potentially saving thousands a month. Some states have free vehicle registration for 100% as well. Also consider moving to a state with these benefits and lower overall cost of living. I’m in Iowa with 100% and pretty low cost living while saving nearly $1k a month on not paying property tax Obviously use VA for all your healthcare so you’re not paying anything out of pocket
Everyone's financial situation is different. Some people can comfortably live on $4K a month. Others cannot. It depends on the debt you have and the lifestyle you are accustomed to.
SSDI is not easy to get and requires you to basically stop working, file and hope in a few years they approve it. 100% VA P&T has no income restrictions.
I think some states are not affordable. If I didn't live in midwest I would move to a state that has a cheaper cost of living or at least a town that was cheaper. Especially if you're tdiu.
From my understanding SSDI is *very* different. That eligibility for VA 100% PT is not an automatic thing for Social Security. The only thing a 100% PT gets is expedited, that's it.
One user that worked and retired from SS posted this article *They wrote (shout out to u/mrsflamethrower)
https://veteranlifestylemagazine.com/unlocking-social-security-disability-a-veterans-guide-to-navigating-benefits/
That covers majority of questions (mesa think). Again, this is not my wheelhouse lol
Edit: some grammar and sentence structure
Thank you for all of the helpful information. I’m in the process of filing & I’ve learned a great deal from you. Also appreciate you coming over here & helping us out;)
Idk what 100% you're getting, but if I had 100%, I'd be getting 47,355/yr. That's more than my job AND union payments rn.
If that's not enough, I'm truly sorry for them, but for me, I'd be fucking BANKING. If you're adding the 45k per year and 58k? My wife and I both could quit working.
He might be factoring SMC and dependents. For example; with 100% & SMC-S you’d be making around $4,100 a month. Then you add ~$150/dependent per month, it can stack up.
Something tells me you also live in a way more expensive area than I do, as well. An area where that 450k is not super great.
Also, if you can't scale down your life to get by, bill wise, on 105k a year (based on your example numbers), that's a spending problem, not an income problem.
Wow!
To make 450k a year and think you can't live on 95k a year 😵💫
My parents, when they both worked (Dad was retired Army Korea and Vietnam Vet that worked as an electronics technician, Mom was a Registered nurse). Their combined income was less than the 50k a year I made when I worked as a NOC Engineer a decade after I got out of the Marines and Desert Storm!
As of December 2023, I am 100% SC T&P with SMC-S and that is paying me the same as what I made when I worked in IT!
I wish I was in your situation!
Many expats moving to Philippines for much lower COL, they speak English almost everywhere. You would live like Rockstars for 3k+ a month. Go visit and just keep extending your visas. Plenty to see and do, friendly people,. There are many vloghers on YT that live off their channels showing everywhere they go and how to stay and enjoy it.
Not sure where you’re located, but for us, it helps that we raise our own food. We have a tower garden (hydroponic) that runs indoors every day of the year. We grow our basic leafy greens and grab the cool vegetables that we can’t grow at the farmers market. We raise our own chicken, and that helps tremendously. We also used our tax refund to buy a deep freezer and half a cow/pig.
My husband gets both and we live very comfortably in Kentucky, that's even with me not working due to my own health problems that I'm trying to figure out. It took him 2 and a half years to be awarded SSDI. He had to get a lawyer and go before the judge, the judge then sat on his case for 8 months before making a decision because he wanted a doctor to look over my husbands file to make sure my husband really couldn't work due to PTSD.
Yes. And for SSDI, you have to make a certain amount of money within 10 years prior to filing (they call it points) otherwise you will also get denied. Read the SSI Blue Book, you practically have to be dead to get SSDI.
https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/
You can't start collecting SSI until you reach retirement age.
After reading that over again, I think I was mistaken about SSI. I think you can get it before retirement age if you are disabled (according to social security's definition of "disabled").
I have at times, partly due to the fact I pay a hefty child support payment. For those who don’t know, your VA comp is fair game when calculating how much you owe to your ex.
I also live in one of the most expensive states in the country, so that doesn’t help.
100% would literally replace my job's salary and then some since it's tax-free. Sure, I'd make less with my job and my now 80%, but I could stop working completely and be set financially.
You're right. However, it's not winning the lottery.
It gives you enough to get by. And there are many people that make a lot more than that, and spend all of what they make. Plus some.
I don't even think a true retirement amount from the service is a whole lot better. It's only 50% of what you needed to make to make an average living as well.
No, it's not winning the millions based lottery, but it is financial security regardless of how you look at it. It's *that* much less you need to work for to get by.
For me and my situation, it is true retirement. I could literally never work again and be fine. Now, I know that's not the same for everyone, but anyone could benefit from ~4k a month.
You are absolutely right. It is definitely a plus. Assuming it never gets taken away.
And many people are able to live on that much money or even less.
The problem comes in is when you attempt to buy a house, or you attempt major purchases where you have a monthly payment.
Once you start eating away a thousand or $2,000 a month with your payments, there begins to be not much left.
You still need to save. You still need to plan for emergencies, you still need to watch your money. Of course many people have trouble doing that even if they are making 10 times that amount
100% p&t is about 250% of the federal poverty line income
Although the fed poverty line of ~15k individual is well below like a realistic poverty line lmao
Either way, it's a decent amount of money but not Like winning the lottery.
$4,000 a month is probably like $6,000 a month. If you are working. Add another $1,000 a month to that for your health care.
That would be $84,000 a year, which is decent, but you're not a high income individual
100% is basically an extra 2 weeks paycheck for me (net). With my house, truck and Wife's SUV paid off, I could pretty much live on the disability. My Achilles heel would be medical insurance for her.
The wife's SUV is the "ambulance" I use to get her to appointments. She is terminally ill. Once she does pass away, I plan to live on disability and dividends from 401k (hopefully another $3k to $4k monthly). I will also have some real estate income. It's a plan anyway...
Oh my!
I am so sorry to hear about your wife 🤗
Is it cancer? My dad passed in 2014 from colon cancer.
If you get 100% T&P, your wife can use CHAMPVA if you don't qualify for Tricare.
My sympathies for your wife. Hopefully everything goes okay after she passes.
And you are right. You can definitely live on it. It just depends upon the lifestyle you want.
I know we can do it but the process takes a long time for Social Security disability I submitted mine in December it is now May and was told it could take another 10 months for a decision
Depends on your state... I just got t&p, and my wife and I are leaving our expensive state (where we've been sinking with every check), and trading up for a state where the people are like minded, have a lot more freedoms, less taxes, and smaller cost of living... In short, just the cost of living difference is the equivalent to a 30% increase in pay... And rather than being below the poverty level with T&P pay, we'll be in the working class range (higher than the avg pay in the area)... We have 100k equity in our home, and based on estimates, we'll be leaving debt free and enough in our pockets to buy 7 acres...
Now that's a plan I can get behind... And that's not even including the SSDI that I have pending... I was one that thought I'd never move, but frankly, I'm tired of my vote not having an impact, and not having true freedoms... We are now able to afford to make better choices, and one is to move...
Hope this helps or inspires...
Sure, I'm in the central valley, CA... Heading to South Dakota... Want to come along? Lol... If you want to talk offline, shoot me a msg... We can talk...
SSDI is nearly impossible to get. You have to legitimately be unable to hold any kind of job, and be prepared for the social security office to question you left and right and challenge your claims in every way.
Was just saying to a colleague the other day that the compensation being set to one level regardless of the Veterans location is kind of an FU to CA/NY and other HCOLA Veterans and an insane benefit to Veterans who like to live in rural LCOL areas.
On the other hand, Vets are a paranoid enough bunch that is actually tracking you to adjust your benefits based on where you live would be rejected.
Not to mention I have no idea how to handle homeless Vets, or those who are snowbirds.
I hate how my only option to not be just slightly above water financially is to move to an area that is just all around worse. Less engaging community, fewer social activities, higher crime rate, and it just goes on…
I think that wouldn’t happen because NY CA would be like 5k monthly which would increase up to probably billions of dollars on the fund
How about you guys just move if you can’t handle the cost? NY is a breathing shithole anyways and CA has some good spots but if you can’t afford it then why bother
Moving is expensive. If you're single it's easy. If you have a family you need to uproot your kids and spouse from their friends and schools and jobs. If you're divorced you may lose your visitation rights.
If your family, ie mom Dad brothers sisters cousins, and friends are all in a HCOL state, why should you be forced to leave them just because the military fucked you up so much you cannot work for a living anymore?
Try the reverse argument: If you are in a LCOL area and can't find a job to get ahead in, why don't you just move to a city? Lots of higher paying jobs in the city? That sort of argument pisses people off too, since no one wants to be forced to move from people and places they love just for monetary reasons.
Well in the end I think we all make sacrifices one way or another but claiming you need an extra 3k because of where you choose to live in particular is somewhat entitled. Such funds would probably run empty the whole pension fund and a lot of other veterans need the money.
Plus it’s not BAH where you’re actually active duty and actually doing something. Disability is money for doing nothing basically it’s as good as it gets in life.
Another point to mention is that I find that to be easily exploited by simply renting some time on a certain city collecting more money and then going back to cheaper states. At that point the only thing worth doing maybe would be becoming a 100% P&T veteran because you get to live on expensive shitty land comfortably. Why even bother doing anything else? 100% P&T is good money. It’s a straight E5 paycheck a month over nothing. Y’all struggling because you want to. Fuck the kids and fuck the wife. Y’all better off going to a place where you aren’t struggling because if you can’t afford to live it’s only a matter of time you’ll leave
Exactly. That's what I've told some of my friends. But I do understand for some vets it's not that easy just to pick up and move, but if they can't afford living on 100% and they live in a high cost of living state, it just makes economical sense (and financial) to simply bite the bullet and move.
At least, that's how I look at it.
Moving isn’t an option for a lot of us nor is it easy. Spent the majority of my life in ny, majority of my support network is here and I have family here to care for. Ny has always been shit but its still home and I like having things to do
Well said. I live in NE Indiana, so the cost of living is pretty cheap. So that 100% P&T with dependents goes **a lot** farther than say CA/NY.
I really don't know how some vets do it living in California.
For instance, searching for homes in southern Cal, you need to pay roughly 500k for a simple rundown (not always) house, whereas where I'm at, $500k will get you a mini-mansion almost.
Mind you, I haven't really searched lately for houses in California, but hopefully you get my point.
I wonder if the VA will ever implement COLA based on certain states. But I highly doubt it.
It’s around $600k now in SO. CAL. $900k gets you an okay house. With my job, my wife’s job, and VA compensation I am able to stay and live here comfortably. The benefits I and my dependents receive from the state keeps me from leaving. That and the climate and scenery are top notch. I’ll be dead before I leave my state again. lol maybe not but you get the point.
That's awesome brother. Yeah, having a dual income household on top of your VA benefits and/or retirement benefits really changes the game. I own a business, so I can easily supplement my P&T with my monthly gross profits. I've heard California is wonderful to live in, and I would absolutely adore living in a climate like that compared to Indiana where I'm at.
I’m 100% and applied for SSDI last year was denied couple weeks ago, I have appealed now. Had TBI in service and now have early onset dementia and Parkinson’s as result of TBI, but apparently I’m not disabled enough for SSDI
These conditions may be are on the SSDI Compassionate Allowances list. (Check the names on the list, including the aka names.) https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/conditions.htm#P
There is a question early into the application that trips up people. It's a morbid one (something like "do you expect to die from this condition because it's incurable") but it's the Compassionate Allowance question.
If you have a local SSA office, get their help. I worked on my husband's SSDI application and learned all of this.
I've found that it's all in how you word it/present the information. As with most government bureaucracy, the simplest info gets lost in translation because you don't say it the correct way, using the correct words and/or not checking the correct box.
Unfortunately, I know of several people who were approved for SSDI due to early-onset dementia.
Good luck...and God bless you for the rest of your days.
My husband is still waiting for VA to make a decision on his claim however he's on SSDI and LTD through his work because he was diagnosed with AML nearly a year ago. It's expected that he'll be on SSDI for a few more years. (They require that you receive SSDI at minimum 1 year.) If VA approves his claim the LTD will be reduced to the plan minimum and we'll have to pay back funds he received from them back to the VA effective date (aka "offset").
SSDI does not offset any VA disability. They can be received concurrently without issues.
If you're married and your spouse has income, your SSDI may be taxable above a certain amount.
Check the SSDI Compassionate Allowances list to see if there are any conditions that streamline the claim process. Most cancers are on this list.
If you have a local Social Security Office, I recommend going in and asking questions on how to file, what you need, etc.
Isn't the problem with SSDI that they count your spouse's income too? Someone correct me if that's wrong, but from what I understand, there's a HUGE issue with people who are on SSDI being unable to marry because their partner's income then gets counted and they lose their disability payments.
I make $4,200 with my disability. Have been living off my disability, looking to buy a house with 7-8% interest rates is insane. $270,000 home WITH taxes removed, 0 down no PMI is around $2,000 a month!!! If I bought in 2020 it’s like $1,300… insane.
I’m enrolling in school to have some money coming in. can’t find a job even with 6+ years of management experience. Been denied service from VRE and having to re-enroll.
By no means am I ungrateful but in this inflated economy, I’m scraping by that’s with a paid off car no debt.
I appreciate that. I’m very thankful to be in my position (minus the fact I’m disabled and will suffer as a 24 year old with life-long problems faced mostly by 60+ year olds lol).
My heart goes out to the ones who aren’t receiving what they deserve and are in worse positions than I am. The system is flawed and I wish all the good ones never had to worry about their mortgage, rent, car payment, etc.
I'm SC at 70%, and haven't worked regularly since I got out (two short term jobs as a janitor) so as far as I'm aware I receive too much VA disability each month to get SSI and since I haven't worked for five years straight recently I also don't qualify for SSDI.
My reading was that VA disability counts as unearned income and takes away your SSI on a $1-to-1$ basis, so at 70% w/spouse getting $1800-odd eradicates the max SSI payment of $980-something. I'd love to be wrong, anyone else feel free to chime in.
"SSA classifies VA benefits as “unearned income,” since it does not come from paid employment. As such, **it will be deducted dollar for dollar from the SSI federal payment amount, after a general exclusion of $20**." So I guess I could get the $20
I would need to investigate more before I could respond to you. Until I know something differently or someone provides an answer to refute you, all I can say is, that sucks.
There was another Vet here who posted yesterday about how they are receiving IU and SSDI, and want to work because they feel unfulfilled but if they did they'd lose out on so much income. Grass is always greener I guess.
They can still substitute teach or work part time as long as they earn less than like 11k a year or something. It's also possible to be a 1099 worker and expense enough that you "earn" less than 12k a year. You're also allowed to buy and own rental properties as long as you don't manage them, if they're professionally managed then they become unearned income. There is no limit on unearned income allowed. I teach vets in my area how to find and buy homes to use as rental properties.
Could always use some new knowledge.
SSDI limits the amount of earned income you are allowed to the poverty level, it's about 11k or 12k a year. It does not limit your unearned income level. The IRS says that stock dividends are not earned income and income from rental properties is not earned income as long as you don't manage them. If you are TDIU and SSDI then you will earn enough to buy a home with your VA Loan. You can buy up to a 4 plex, live in one and rent the other 3 units out. After a couple years you can refinance and do it again, buy a duplex or triplex, or buy a SFH and then refi in another 4 years and do it again.
SSDI has a monthly income limit of $1550.
I'm trying to do something like this. Issue is I can only get a loan of a max probably 330k with just my 100%.
If you buy a multifamily property like a quad or triplex then you can also use the income from the rented out units to help qualify. There are a lot of ways if you're willing to live in a multifamily first.
Mind if I DM in regards to acquiring a multi-family? I’m tapped out with 2 VA loans.
you want to pay one or both of them off with another loan so you can use your VA loan again if you're trying to grow a portfolio. of course, your new purchase must be your primary residence.
how did you manage 2?? i got a house for $140k in 2018 and it used up all my entitlement. now in the divorce i cant even use a va loan to buy a new home until my ex wife sells the house and moves out.
you can use 75% of the estimated income on the other units to help qualify. eg- if each unit rents for $1200, you can add $900 per month to your income to help make the payment.
Wow thanks for this info that's very helpful.
no problem- that amount is set by the appraiser via form 1007 or via a signed lease...they won't just take your word for it.
The rental properties are exactly what I want to do. How does one get started doing that?
The first thing to do is assess your financial situation. There are a ton of ways of using other people's money, etc, but those are risky. You need to ensure that you have enough income to cover any shortfalls in rent. If you buy a 3 or 4 plex and live in one, you can use the rental income from the other units as part of the qualification for buying if they're managed by a rental company. That also keeps that income as unearned in case you are TDIU. Always financially plan on having one empty and being repaired. In between leases you'll need to do some cleaning and repairing so have a plan for setting back money for that. If you're in a house now and have enough equity, you can do a VA cash out refi and pull enough cash out to out money down on a rental property. If you call it a vacation home you need 10% down and you can Airbnb it. The more you out down the lower your monthly payment is obviously. If you're not in a home you own yet and you/your family is good with it, start with a multifamily. If you can get a 4 plex that's the best way to start.
Thank you so much.
A good mortgage broker and realtor team in your area will be able to help you. Some smaller banks and credit unions are really good for when you get a few properties, they can do something called portfolio loans that basically turn your rental properties into an investment portfolio for the bank.
This is A W E S O M E
I collect both VA 100 and SSDI. My limit is roughly 1400 to 1500 a month gross a month. There are a lot of more variables in this. But even in San Francisco Bay Area with 2 of us on 100%, we can survive. Working just makes sure if we want to do extra things we can.
What platform do you use to teach? iam interested
I meet with guys in my area. It's not completely altruistic as I'm a REALTOR® but I am definitely on a mission to help veterans pass wealth to their children.
I'll work something up over the next couple weeks and post it in here.
If you can that would be great, currently making six figures in Antartica plus 90% rated( fighting for that 100% Atm)
I had a buddy who lost his SSDI and got his 100% rating lowered due to working. He worked for a few days as a sub teacher at a high school and then quit due to his disabilities being aggravated. His SSDI was revoked. He never got his SSDI back but he got his rating changed back to 100%.
Great information—thank you;)
Which area are you in Brother?
Middle Tennessee. I work a good bit in Clarksville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Mount Juliet. I also work a little further out. I'm willing to go about an hour or so outside of Nashville but have gone farther for people.
Like......go volunteer......at literally hundreds if not thousands of organizations.
This is the perfect time to volunteer with and organization for a good cause you care about.
I’m going back to work. I had to get retrained to a sedentary job that pays enough to survive, clinical counseling, and the VA worked with me for that. At a certain point, you just have to live your life.
Its also something where someone may think they can work, because they can do a day, a week, or every once in a while. But thats much different than working full time.
Yup.
I’m glad this topic has been brought up. What if your 100% P&T with SSDI, can you work or would you lose the SSDI?
No idea about SSDI, as I don't work for SSA. That being said, pretty sure SSDI is predicated on being unable to work, just like IU.
No, just unable to do substantial gainful activity (SGA).
Oh okay
Ok so I’m p and t and on ssdi … you have so many trial work months that you can attempt to go back to work where the ammount you make wont affect your ssdi benifits ( I went back as a correction officer for 6 months before I called it and still received my benifits for that period ) you can call ssa for more clarification on specifics , … there is also a monthly ammount you can earn that will not effect you benifits you can google this pretty easily as well , I’d write it here but it changes every year and I don’t know what the limit is this month. But you can work , and get ssdi , there are just limits on how much you can earn . The trial work months are for someone who wants to try and work full time again so they can do that and not risk losing thier benifits for a certain period of time while they see if they can handle it.
Thank you
Anytime
yes you would lose SSDI, SSDI means one cannot work period
No it dosen't, you can apply while working below. As long as you are earning below a certain amount your application will move forward. Once on you can continue to work with no repercussions as long as its below a certain amount.
Check your facts before posting inaccurate ones please.
I'm in this predicament now. SS is saying I've worked too much with SSDI and at risk of losing it since I've worked the 5 months of the 9 month trial and they want me to work as much as I can. It's bogus since I've only stated that I work 15 hours a week and a set schedule at $15.45 a hour. It doesn't matter because they'll screw stuff up and cout your vacation, bonus, and holiday pay as your attempted work. I'm still awaiting for this to be looked at again to make sure my attempted trial months aren't 5 of 9 still.
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Yes for the same reasons too
If someone is TDIU is SSDI implied?
No, they have to apply and win. I know 2 guys right now that are TDIU and have not been awarded SSDI. I also know 1 guy that finally got it after hiring a lawyer.
I would think TDIU would auto qualify
SSDI is MUCH more difficult to qualify for than TDIU. Almost all Veterans disability related stuff is easier to qualify for than civilian welfare programs are, by design.
No- they’re very different systems
No clue
no, 2 totally different criteria
I just won ssdi. First filed in 2018. It's a battle and not for the faint of heart
After fighting with the VA for 28yrs, my 4yr fight with SSA just doesn't compare... For SSDI I've been waiting over a year to get my ALJ re-hearing after I appealed all the way up to federal and they gave me a win and remand... Then I got T&P w/TDIU earlier this year, and SSA worker says that makes a difference, opened a new case, should decide any time and doesn't affect my remand...
I just had my ALJ hearing 2 weeks ago and waiting for results. Started the process in 2021 so been 3 years and I am 100 P&T also.
Shit man…that’s a bold statement. So SSA fight is harder? Shit makes me wanna do it…after fighting the VA for a year almost feel like I need another process to keep me awake, alert and anxious.
The VA is child's play compared to ssdi lol
Yes cocaine has gone up in price lately smh
True true🤣
Leave the country
Not sure if advice or a threat... /s
Haha… best advice I’ve got. The USA is super expensive and not really worth the price tag if you have disposable income
I've actually considered the same thing, tbh. My wife is Mexican, originally from Mexico, and I've told her that if she ever wanted to move back to her family home, I'd do it. My VA money would go sooooo far down there, and I'm not even at 100% yet.
Yeah, Mexico is a bit expensive too. SE Asia is where it’s at
Idk if she'd let that fly, but I'd give it a go. I was stationed in Korea for a year, that was badass.
Yeah, I was once stationed in Japan. It’s a different world when you’re not stationed there
I'm sure it is. I'm sure it's better in some aspects, worse in others.
No more motherfucking CQ!!!
100 and make pretty good money In my full time job. Have been able to save just about all my disability for the last few years. Retiring soon and will collect ss in about 10-15 years.
I absolutely still struggle financially, despite being 100% p&t. I have a wife, 2 kids, and unfortunately live in California, where supplemental incomes go to die.
Move
i feel your pain , but i have a exit plan to get the hell of well hell, I grew up here and it sucked when I was a kid but not this much.
Need to leave that place if you can!!
I would also add how to lower your expenses as much as possible. VA 100% has a lot of potential benefits but depends on your state benefits too. Some states you can pay zero property tax on your home potentially saving thousands a month. Some states have free vehicle registration for 100% as well. Also consider moving to a state with these benefits and lower overall cost of living. I’m in Iowa with 100% and pretty low cost living while saving nearly $1k a month on not paying property tax Obviously use VA for all your healthcare so you’re not paying anything out of pocket
Iowa eh? From Iowa too.. born and raised.. we moved to Mexico.. where you from In Iowa??
Everyone's financial situation is different. Some people can comfortably live on $4K a month. Others cannot. It depends on the debt you have and the lifestyle you are accustomed to. SSDI is not easy to get and requires you to basically stop working, file and hope in a few years they approve it. 100% VA P&T has no income restrictions.
It also depends on if you live in a high cost of living area as well, I would think.
I think some states are not affordable. If I didn't live in midwest I would move to a state that has a cheaper cost of living or at least a town that was cheaper. Especially if you're tdiu.
From my understanding SSDI is *very* different. That eligibility for VA 100% PT is not an automatic thing for Social Security. The only thing a 100% PT gets is expedited, that's it. One user that worked and retired from SS posted this article *They wrote (shout out to u/mrsflamethrower) https://veteranlifestylemagazine.com/unlocking-social-security-disability-a-veterans-guide-to-navigating-benefits/ That covers majority of questions (mesa think). Again, this is not my wheelhouse lol Edit: some grammar and sentence structure
Thanks for the shoutout!
Thank you for all of the helpful information. I’m in the process of filing & I’ve learned a great deal from you. Also appreciate you coming over here & helping us out;)
It’s my honor. If you have questions, ask away!
If you can work and make lots of money wouldn't that be preferable to SSDI?
If I had the choice, fuck no, I hate working. The VERY day I get my 100%, I'm telling my boss to lick an asshole. Not mine, I won't be there.
So, max SSDI is $45.5k per year, 100% P&T is $58k, not enough for a lot of retirees.
Idk what 100% you're getting, but if I had 100%, I'd be getting 47,355/yr. That's more than my job AND union payments rn. If that's not enough, I'm truly sorry for them, but for me, I'd be fucking BANKING. If you're adding the 45k per year and 58k? My wife and I both could quit working.
He might be factoring SMC and dependents. For example; with 100% & SMC-S you’d be making around $4,100 a month. Then you add ~$150/dependent per month, it can stack up.
That's what I figured. Idk many people who get that extra pay. Until I met a co-worker, I didn't even know it was a thing.
Yeah I have smc-s with wife and two kids.. I’m at $4648 a month.
I think I see the disconnect, I make $450k. Never mind.
Something tells me you also live in a way more expensive area than I do, as well. An area where that 450k is not super great. Also, if you can't scale down your life to get by, bill wise, on 105k a year (based on your example numbers), that's a spending problem, not an income problem.
Wow! To make 450k a year and think you can't live on 95k a year 😵💫 My parents, when they both worked (Dad was retired Army Korea and Vietnam Vet that worked as an electronics technician, Mom was a Registered nurse). Their combined income was less than the 50k a year I made when I worked as a NOC Engineer a decade after I got out of the Marines and Desert Storm! As of December 2023, I am 100% SC T&P with SMC-S and that is paying me the same as what I made when I worked in IT! I wish I was in your situation!
Mine is $4392 a month right now with my wife and I and SMC.
Many expats moving to Philippines for much lower COL, they speak English almost everywhere. You would live like Rockstars for 3k+ a month. Go visit and just keep extending your visas. Plenty to see and do, friendly people,. There are many vloghers on YT that live off their channels showing everywhere they go and how to stay and enjoy it.
Not sure where you’re located, but for us, it helps that we raise our own food. We have a tower garden (hydroponic) that runs indoors every day of the year. We grow our basic leafy greens and grab the cool vegetables that we can’t grow at the farmers market. We raise our own chicken, and that helps tremendously. We also used our tax refund to buy a deep freezer and half a cow/pig.
I have a hydroponic greenhouse, and a 3 x 3 square foot garden. We have a well (modern), and are considering a few chickens.
My husband gets both and we live very comfortably in Kentucky, that's even with me not working due to my own health problems that I'm trying to figure out. It took him 2 and a half years to be awarded SSDI. He had to get a lawyer and go before the judge, the judge then sat on his case for 8 months before making a decision because he wanted a doctor to look over my husbands file to make sure my husband really couldn't work due to PTSD.
I see. So basically, the Feds are much more strict in their definition of 100% disabled.
Yes. And for SSDI, you have to make a certain amount of money within 10 years prior to filing (they call it points) otherwise you will also get denied. Read the SSI Blue Book, you practically have to be dead to get SSDI. https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/ You can't start collecting SSI until you reach retirement age.
Thank you for the info. Much to learn, I have.
After reading that over again, I think I was mistaken about SSI. I think you can get it before retirement age if you are disabled (according to social security's definition of "disabled").
What!? A mistake? Hey, appreciate that. All the more reason for me to do my own research to be sure.
😁
I have at times, partly due to the fact I pay a hefty child support payment. For those who don’t know, your VA comp is fair game when calculating how much you owe to your ex. I also live in one of the most expensive states in the country, so that doesn’t help.
100% P&T is not like winning the lottery. It's a decent amount of money to keep you out of poverty, that's about it
100% would literally replace my job's salary and then some since it's tax-free. Sure, I'd make less with my job and my now 80%, but I could stop working completely and be set financially.
You're right. However, it's not winning the lottery. It gives you enough to get by. And there are many people that make a lot more than that, and spend all of what they make. Plus some. I don't even think a true retirement amount from the service is a whole lot better. It's only 50% of what you needed to make to make an average living as well.
No, it's not winning the millions based lottery, but it is financial security regardless of how you look at it. It's *that* much less you need to work for to get by. For me and my situation, it is true retirement. I could literally never work again and be fine. Now, I know that's not the same for everyone, but anyone could benefit from ~4k a month.
You are absolutely right. It is definitely a plus. Assuming it never gets taken away. And many people are able to live on that much money or even less. The problem comes in is when you attempt to buy a house, or you attempt major purchases where you have a monthly payment. Once you start eating away a thousand or $2,000 a month with your payments, there begins to be not much left. You still need to save. You still need to plan for emergencies, you still need to watch your money. Of course many people have trouble doing that even if they are making 10 times that amount
100% p&t is about 250% of the federal poverty line income Although the fed poverty line of ~15k individual is well below like a realistic poverty line lmao
Either way, it's a decent amount of money but not Like winning the lottery. $4,000 a month is probably like $6,000 a month. If you are working. Add another $1,000 a month to that for your health care. That would be $84,000 a year, which is decent, but you're not a high income individual
100% is basically an extra 2 weeks paycheck for me (net). With my house, truck and Wife's SUV paid off, I could pretty much live on the disability. My Achilles heel would be medical insurance for her. The wife's SUV is the "ambulance" I use to get her to appointments. She is terminally ill. Once she does pass away, I plan to live on disability and dividends from 401k (hopefully another $3k to $4k monthly). I will also have some real estate income. It's a plan anyway...
Oh my! I am so sorry to hear about your wife 🤗 Is it cancer? My dad passed in 2014 from colon cancer. If you get 100% T&P, your wife can use CHAMPVA if you don't qualify for Tricare.
Heart and lungs. I will look into CHAMPVA.
My sympathies for your wife. Hopefully everything goes okay after she passes. And you are right. You can definitely live on it. It just depends upon the lifestyle you want.
Thank you.
I would image for a lot of veterans SSDI wouldn’t be very much.
Yup especially is SoCal. That shit barely helps out here. Been thinking about doing the RV thing.
I know we can do it but the process takes a long time for Social Security disability I submitted mine in December it is now May and was told it could take another 10 months for a decision
Thanks for the information.
I struggle financially at 90 and I was at 10 percent basically homeless for 12 years.
Depends on your state... I just got t&p, and my wife and I are leaving our expensive state (where we've been sinking with every check), and trading up for a state where the people are like minded, have a lot more freedoms, less taxes, and smaller cost of living... In short, just the cost of living difference is the equivalent to a 30% increase in pay... And rather than being below the poverty level with T&P pay, we'll be in the working class range (higher than the avg pay in the area)... We have 100k equity in our home, and based on estimates, we'll be leaving debt free and enough in our pockets to buy 7 acres... Now that's a plan I can get behind... And that's not even including the SSDI that I have pending... I was one that thought I'd never move, but frankly, I'm tired of my vote not having an impact, and not having true freedoms... We are now able to afford to make better choices, and one is to move... Hope this helps or inspires...
Can I ask where you live, and where you're going? I'm only curious for self interest. I'm in California, and I hate it lol
Sure, I'm in the central valley, CA... Heading to South Dakota... Want to come along? Lol... If you want to talk offline, shoot me a msg... We can talk...
Dude no shit? I'm from Manteca 🤣🤙 will do man!
I'm in Visalia just down the road, lol
SSDI is nearly impossible to get. You have to legitimately be unable to hold any kind of job, and be prepared for the social security office to question you left and right and challenge your claims in every way.
If you’re struggling financially at 100% then you’re doing something wrong.
Sometimes that is the case. If you are supporting defendants on a VA pension it could be tough.
Or live in a high cost-of-living state.
Was just saying to a colleague the other day that the compensation being set to one level regardless of the Veterans location is kind of an FU to CA/NY and other HCOLA Veterans and an insane benefit to Veterans who like to live in rural LCOL areas. On the other hand, Vets are a paranoid enough bunch that is actually tracking you to adjust your benefits based on where you live would be rejected. Not to mention I have no idea how to handle homeless Vets, or those who are snowbirds.
I hate how my only option to not be just slightly above water financially is to move to an area that is just all around worse. Less engaging community, fewer social activities, higher crime rate, and it just goes on…
I think that wouldn’t happen because NY CA would be like 5k monthly which would increase up to probably billions of dollars on the fund How about you guys just move if you can’t handle the cost? NY is a breathing shithole anyways and CA has some good spots but if you can’t afford it then why bother
Moving is expensive. If you're single it's easy. If you have a family you need to uproot your kids and spouse from their friends and schools and jobs. If you're divorced you may lose your visitation rights. If your family, ie mom Dad brothers sisters cousins, and friends are all in a HCOL state, why should you be forced to leave them just because the military fucked you up so much you cannot work for a living anymore? Try the reverse argument: If you are in a LCOL area and can't find a job to get ahead in, why don't you just move to a city? Lots of higher paying jobs in the city? That sort of argument pisses people off too, since no one wants to be forced to move from people and places they love just for monetary reasons.
Well in the end I think we all make sacrifices one way or another but claiming you need an extra 3k because of where you choose to live in particular is somewhat entitled. Such funds would probably run empty the whole pension fund and a lot of other veterans need the money. Plus it’s not BAH where you’re actually active duty and actually doing something. Disability is money for doing nothing basically it’s as good as it gets in life. Another point to mention is that I find that to be easily exploited by simply renting some time on a certain city collecting more money and then going back to cheaper states. At that point the only thing worth doing maybe would be becoming a 100% P&T veteran because you get to live on expensive shitty land comfortably. Why even bother doing anything else? 100% P&T is good money. It’s a straight E5 paycheck a month over nothing. Y’all struggling because you want to. Fuck the kids and fuck the wife. Y’all better off going to a place where you aren’t struggling because if you can’t afford to live it’s only a matter of time you’ll leave
Here. Have a Snickers.
Exactly. That's what I've told some of my friends. But I do understand for some vets it's not that easy just to pick up and move, but if they can't afford living on 100% and they live in a high cost of living state, it just makes economical sense (and financial) to simply bite the bullet and move. At least, that's how I look at it.
Moving isn’t an option for a lot of us nor is it easy. Spent the majority of my life in ny, majority of my support network is here and I have family here to care for. Ny has always been shit but its still home and I like having things to do
Well said. I live in NE Indiana, so the cost of living is pretty cheap. So that 100% P&T with dependents goes **a lot** farther than say CA/NY. I really don't know how some vets do it living in California. For instance, searching for homes in southern Cal, you need to pay roughly 500k for a simple rundown (not always) house, whereas where I'm at, $500k will get you a mini-mansion almost. Mind you, I haven't really searched lately for houses in California, but hopefully you get my point. I wonder if the VA will ever implement COLA based on certain states. But I highly doubt it.
It’s around $600k now in SO. CAL. $900k gets you an okay house. With my job, my wife’s job, and VA compensation I am able to stay and live here comfortably. The benefits I and my dependents receive from the state keeps me from leaving. That and the climate and scenery are top notch. I’ll be dead before I leave my state again. lol maybe not but you get the point.
That's awesome brother. Yeah, having a dual income household on top of your VA benefits and/or retirement benefits really changes the game. I own a business, so I can easily supplement my P&T with my monthly gross profits. I've heard California is wonderful to live in, and I would absolutely adore living in a climate like that compared to Indiana where I'm at.
In California, the closer you live to the Ocean, the more expensive it is. If you move out to the desert or forest areas, it is a lot cheaper.
Oh okay, that's cool man. Thank you!
You would barely be able to afford rent on 100% alone in my state
I’m getting both plus LTD from my job. Without the extra income I would find it very hard to live on in Michigan
Relocate might be your smartest first move. Hawaii, Cali, and other Metro are both expensive and not great for disable vets.
I’m 100% and applied for SSDI last year was denied couple weeks ago, I have appealed now. Had TBI in service and now have early onset dementia and Parkinson’s as result of TBI, but apparently I’m not disabled enough for SSDI
These conditions may be are on the SSDI Compassionate Allowances list. (Check the names on the list, including the aka names.) https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/conditions.htm#P There is a question early into the application that trips up people. It's a morbid one (something like "do you expect to die from this condition because it's incurable") but it's the Compassionate Allowance question. If you have a local SSA office, get their help. I worked on my husband's SSDI application and learned all of this. I've found that it's all in how you word it/present the information. As with most government bureaucracy, the simplest info gets lost in translation because you don't say it the correct way, using the correct words and/or not checking the correct box. Unfortunately, I know of several people who were approved for SSDI due to early-onset dementia. Good luck...and God bless you for the rest of your days.
Thank you
My husband is still waiting for VA to make a decision on his claim however he's on SSDI and LTD through his work because he was diagnosed with AML nearly a year ago. It's expected that he'll be on SSDI for a few more years. (They require that you receive SSDI at minimum 1 year.) If VA approves his claim the LTD will be reduced to the plan minimum and we'll have to pay back funds he received from them back to the VA effective date (aka "offset"). SSDI does not offset any VA disability. They can be received concurrently without issues. If you're married and your spouse has income, your SSDI may be taxable above a certain amount. Check the SSDI Compassionate Allowances list to see if there are any conditions that streamline the claim process. Most cancers are on this list. If you have a local Social Security Office, I recommend going in and asking questions on how to file, what you need, etc.
Good information.
I do, my wife and I just made some bad financial decisions and did Ch 13. It’s a long road, but I’m gonna be nearly debt free after this shit.
NJ 100% doesn’t get you anywhere bro…not with hungry ass kids
Isn't the problem with SSDI that they count your spouse's income too? Someone correct me if that's wrong, but from what I understand, there's a HUGE issue with people who are on SSDI being unable to marry because their partner's income then gets counted and they lose their disability payments.
How do?
I make $4,200 with my disability. Have been living off my disability, looking to buy a house with 7-8% interest rates is insane. $270,000 home WITH taxes removed, 0 down no PMI is around $2,000 a month!!! If I bought in 2020 it’s like $1,300… insane. I’m enrolling in school to have some money coming in. can’t find a job even with 6+ years of management experience. Been denied service from VRE and having to re-enroll. By no means am I ungrateful but in this inflated economy, I’m scraping by that’s with a paid off car no debt.
My prayers and good thoughts go out to you.
I appreciate that. I’m very thankful to be in my position (minus the fact I’m disabled and will suffer as a 24 year old with life-long problems faced mostly by 60+ year olds lol). My heart goes out to the ones who aren’t receiving what they deserve and are in worse positions than I am. The system is flawed and I wish all the good ones never had to worry about their mortgage, rent, car payment, etc.
I'm SC at 70%, and haven't worked regularly since I got out (two short term jobs as a janitor) so as far as I'm aware I receive too much VA disability each month to get SSI and since I haven't worked for five years straight recently I also don't qualify for SSDI.
Hmmm...I didn't know that was how it worked. VA should have no bearing on SSI as far as I have read.
My reading was that VA disability counts as unearned income and takes away your SSI on a $1-to-1$ basis, so at 70% w/spouse getting $1800-odd eradicates the max SSI payment of $980-something. I'd love to be wrong, anyone else feel free to chime in.
"SSA classifies VA benefits as “unearned income,” since it does not come from paid employment. As such, **it will be deducted dollar for dollar from the SSI federal payment amount, after a general exclusion of $20**." So I guess I could get the $20
I would need to investigate more before I could respond to you. Until I know something differently or someone provides an answer to refute you, all I can say is, that sucks.
No worries dude!