• Social Security disability helps, but many still need to be gainfully employed.disabled sign image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
  
  Social Security Disability Benefits are benefits given to United States citizens that have a physical or mental disability that makes it difficult or impossible to find employment. Social Security Disability pay is a small stipend that barely covers the costs of living, and many recipients want or need to work. The United States Social Security Administration has developed a program, the Ticket to Work Program, to help disabled citizens return to a productive life, and offers vocational rehabilitation training, job referrals and other services free of charge to Social Security recipients.
  
  

Trial Work Period

• The Social Security trial work period is a nine month opportunity to test a recipient's ability to stay gainfully employed. Full Social Security benefits remain available for the entire nine month period, as long as the recipient honestly reports his work activity to the Social Security Administration. A trial work month is defined, as of 2010, as any month in which total earnings are more than $720, or more than $720 after expenses if the work is self-employment. The trial work period ends when nine trial work months have been completed in a sixty month span.
  
  

Extended Period of Eligibility

• After the trial work period, there is a three year period where a recipient may work and still receive Social Security disability benefits. In order to remain eligible during this 36-month period, monthly earnings can not be "substantial", which in 2010 means more than $1,000. Once more than that amount is earned, benefits will stop immediately. If stopped, the recipient has a five year window to have his benefits reinstated by the Social Security Administration without filing a new claim.
  
  

Expenses

• Any work expenses related to a recipient's disability are not deducted from the total amount the recipient made during the month, so they do not affect Social Security disability payments. Also, if a recipient files a Plan to Achieve Self-Support, any money used to advance this purpose is not counted and does not affect disability payments.
  
  

Medicare

• Medicare benefits for recipients of Social Security Disability payments extend for ninety-three months after the nine month work trial period ends. After which Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage can be continued as long as the premium is paid.