Disability Benefits for Software Engineers in Baltimore and Washington DC

What Disability Benefits Can a Software Engineer Get in Washington DC or Baltimore?

Software Engineers maintain possibly the best job security in the vocational world. Typically, their work is done sitting at a desk, so the average person would never dream of a software engineer losing their ability to earn a living.

However, anything can happen to anyone at any time. Even very skilled workers who do not perform physical labor can lose their ability to work because of a medical condition. Some people experience a spine injury or traumatic brain injury from a car accident or other unexpected event. Others experience worsening mental illness like depression, anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Very unlucky people develop sudden terminal illnesses like cancer, or a terrible autoimmune disease like lupus. If the symptoms are bad enough, any of these issues (or many other conditions) can prevent someone from working any job, including software engineer. 

What should a person do for money in this situation? Can a software engineer collect disability benefits? If so, what kind of disability benefits? The legal advice of an experienced Washington DC and Baltimore disability lawyer can help you through the process. 

Social Security Disability Insurance for Software Engineers

Yes, a software engineer in Washington DC or Baltimore could receive social security disability insurance (SSDI) if they cannot perform any kind of full-time job due to a severe medical condition, but they have to have paid payroll taxes for a certain amount of time before they become disabled. A skilled worker of this nature usually works for a medium or large sized corporation. That means they almost always get paid as an employee and receive a W-2 at the end of the year. W-2 employees automatically pay payroll taxes, which include social security tax. If a worker pays social security tax for long enough (usually 5 out of the last 10 years) then they could qualify for social security disability insurance (SSDI). The maximum payment for SSDI is usually 20-30% of a high earner’s salary. Medically speaking, it’s the least difficult (but far from easy) way to prove disability for SSDI. Our Washington DC disability law firm will help you navigate the legal complexities while you focus on your well-being.

Private Long Term Disability Insurance (LTD)

Yes, a Software Engineer could potentially get benefits from an LTD carrier like the Hartford, MassMutual or MetLife (among others). But…! And this is a big “But”… the software engineer or their employer must have purchased the policy BEFORE the disability occurred. The good news is that LTD benefits are often 60% to 70% of a person’s salary and usually has a work incentive, meaning that if a person works part time then benefits are still payable. The bad news is that a person has to be disabled from working their own occupation. That doesn’t seem to be a definition of disability that is difficult to meet until you consider how hard the insurance company will fight to prove they don’t meet it. Insurance companies often hire doctors for thousands of dollars who say almost everyone is NOT disabled. 

Other Disability Benefits for Software Engineers 

There are other kinds of disability benefits available to software engineers in rare cases. Usually these would be some kind of government employee disability, in cases where the software engineer works for the state or federal government.

How to Get Help from a Maryland and Washington DC Disability Lawyer

If you need help with your claim or questions answered, call Baltimore and Washington DC disability lawyer Emmett B. Irwin. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.