Disability Terms and Definitions

Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) Under an approved PASS, recipients of federal SSI may set aside income and/or resources over a period of time to reach a goal to become financially self supporting. The income and resources set aside may later be used to obtain occupational training or education, purchase occupational equipment, establish a business, etc. 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. Windfall Offset A provision to prevent a person from receiving monthly SSI and OASDI benefits in excess of the total amount which would have been paid if the OASDI benefits had been paid when they were due rather than retroactively. DWB Disabled Widows (Widowers) Benefits. Title II benefit category for widows or widowers based on a deceased spouse's social security payments. 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. Benefit Year The 52 consecutive weeks for which you are eligible to receive unemployment benefits. The benefit year begins on the day that you file for unemployment benefits. Indexing Indexing is designed to provide some protection against inflation. After the first year of disability, a disabled employee's pre-disability earnings are usually increased (or indexed) by a certain percentage on an annual basis. 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. Elimination Period This is the period of time between the date the disability commences and the beginning of the benefit payment period. It is the period during which an employee must be disabled before payment of benefits begins. It is sometimes referred to as the Qualifying Period. Reasonable Accommodation Any change in the job application process, work environment or work process, or modification to the benefits or privileges of employment, that results in equal employment opportunity for an individual with a disability.

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	Did You Know?
	SSDI stands for Social Security Disability Insurance A system of federally provided payments to eligible workers (and, in some cases, their families) when they are unable to continue working because of a disability. Benefits begin with the sixth full month of disability and continue until the individual is capable of substantial gainful activity.