Disability Terms and Definitions

Mandatory Supplementation The supplementary payments that are made only to beneficiaries who were converted to the SSI program from former State assistance programs at the inception of the SSI program. Own Occupation (Own Occ) Under this definition, an insured will be considered disabled only if he or she is unable to perform the duties of his or her occupation. 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. 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. Unincurred Business Expenses Self-employment business support given to you by someone else without cost. If you are self-employed, we deduct unincurred business expenses from earnings when we determine SGA. 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. Blind Work Expenses (SSI) If you are blind, when we determine your SSI eligibility and payment amount we do not count any earned income that you use to meet expenses in earning the income. 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. Mental disorder In DSM-III, a mental disorder is conceptualized as a clinically significant behavioral or psychologic syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that typically is associated with either a painful symptom (distress) or impairment in one or more important areas of functioning (disability). DWB Disabled Widows (Widowers) Benefits. Title II benefit category for widows or widowers based on a deceased spouse's social security payments.

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	Did You Know?
	SHMO means Social Health Maintenance Organization A managed system of health and long-term care services geared toward an elderly client population. Under this model, a single provider entity assumes responsibility for a full range of acute inpatient, ambulatory, rehabilitative, extended home health and personal care services under a fixed budget which is determined prospectively. Elderly people who reside in the target service area are voluntarily enrolled. Once enrolled, individuals are obligated to receive all SHMO covered services through SHMO providers, similar to the operation of a medical model health maintenance organization (HMO).