One Quarter

Chris says;

What is a quarter of coverage?  Some people are denied Disability Insurance Benefits, not because they fail to show that they are disabled, but because they do not financially qualify.  For Disability Insurance Benefits individuals must have paid into the system 20 out of the previous 40 quarters (quarter of a year, the quarters are Jan-March, April- June, July-September, October-December).  Each quarter that you pay enough into the system you obtain a quarter of coverage.  You must be found disabled at a time when you have paid into the system for 20 out of the previous 40 quarters.

What can you do if you are denied Benefits because of a lack of quarters of coverage?  First, you could apply for Supplemental Security Income if you have a very limited amount of resources.  But, did you know that you only need to earn $1,120 in a quarter for 2010 in order to obtain a quarter of coverage.  This equates to under $400 in a month for each of the three months of a given quarter.  If you fall just one quarter short, don't forget, it is not the end of the world.  If you can earn just $1,120 over the course of a three month quarter then you can get that one extra quarter of coverage which might put you over the edge and allow you to obtain Disability Insurance Benefits.