How Workers’ Compensation and Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits

Disability payments from private sources, such as private pensions or insurance benefits, don’t affect your Social Security disability benefits.

Workers’ compensation and other public disability benefits, however, may reduce your Social Security benefits. Workers’ compensation benefits are paid to a worker because of a job-related injury or illness. They may be paid by federal or state workers’ compensation agencies, employers, or by insurance companies on behalf of employers.

Other public disability payments that may affect your Social Security benefit are those paid by a federal, state, or local government and are for disabling medical conditions that are not job-related. Examples are civil service disability benefits, state temporary disability benefits, and state or local government retirement benefits that are based on disability.

If you receive workers’ compensation or other public disability benefits, AND Social Security disability benefits, the total amount of these benefits CANNOT exceed 80% of your average current earnings before you became disabled.

Contacting a Disability Advocate