Allsup Spotlights Disability Resources During National Minority Health Month in April
Belleville, Ill. (PRWEB) April 01, 2014 -- National Minority Health Month in April raises awareness about health disparities, including higher rates of disability, that affect racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. Allsup, a nationwide Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation company, celebrates this year’s theme, “Prevention is Power: Taking Action for Health Equity,” by advocating for access to disability benefits for individuals who have paid into the federal SSDI program.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Minority Health found that as a group, minorities with disabilities had less understanding and awareness of available resources and did not do as well socioeconomically, as minorities without disabilities.
The committee recommended raising awareness about minorities with disabilities at the federal, state and local levels.
“There is definitely a need for more education and awareness around disability resources such as Social Security Disability Insurance and other state, municipal and local disability programs,” said Tai Venuti, Allsup manager of Strategic Alliances.
“For anyone facing chronic illness and disability, understanding SSDI and its impact on their health, future employment and retirement income is critical,” said Venuti. “Research shows that minority populations experience higher rates of disability and tend to have more physically demanding jobs. This makes it especially difficult to continue working with a severe disability.”
SSDI is a payroll tax-funded, federal insurance program. A portion of the FICA taxes workers pay is set aside for SSDI, retirement and Medicare. SSDI provides insured individuals with a monthly income, based on their past contributions, if they are unable to work due to a disability and are under full retirement age. If they are full retirement age or older (65-67), they will receive Social Security retirement benefits. To read Allsup’s explanation of SSDI benefits and eligibility, click here.
Racial and ethnic minority groups comprise one-third of the U.S. population, but one-half of them are uninsured, according to the Henry J, Kaiser Family Foundation. One of the benefits of SSDI is eligibility for Medicare, including prescription coverage, 24 months after monthly cash benefits begin.
SSDI also protects Social Security retirement benefits. At retirement age, SSDI ends and individuals transition to Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security disability entitlement “freezes” Social Security earnings records during the period of disability. Because the years in which individuals collect SSDI benefits are not counted when computing future benefits, Social Security retirement benefits may be higher than if earnings were averaged over a greater number of years. This may be particularly important to minorities because people of color are less likely than white Americans to have pensions or retirement savings, according to the National Academy of Social Insurance.
For more information on SSDI benefits and eligibility, call the Allsup Disability Evaluation Center at (888) 841-2126 or visit Expert.Allsup.com. To request a presentation or workshop on SSDI and disability literacy, visit AllsupAlliances.com.
Allsup is pleased to support the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities.
About Allsup
Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, veterans disability appeal, Medicare and Medicare Secondary Payer compliance services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Allsup professionals deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. Founded in 1984, the company is based in Belleville, Ill.., near St. Louis. For more information, go to http://www.Allsup.com or visit Allsup on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Allsupinc.
Tai Venuti, Allsup, http://expert.allsup.com, +1 (800) 854-1418 Ext: 68573, [email protected]
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