Disability Terms and Definitions

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) The level of work activity used to establish disability. A finding of disability requires that a person be unable to engage in SGA. CDB Childhood Disability Benefits. Title II benefit category for disabled adult children of deceased, retired or disabled parents. Disability must have begun prior to age 22. Work Incentives/Employment Support SSA policies that help disability beneficiaries go to work and receive benefits in an attempt to become more independent. PD Presumptive Disability. Only for SSI claims. Enables an early (presumptive) allowance of benefits for 6 months based on a substantial probability of a final allowance when all required documentation is obtained. A PD can be reversed to a denial, but the claimant does not return the PD benefits. Cost-of-living adjustments Each January, your benefits will increase automatically if the cost of living has gone up. For example, if the cost of living has increased by 2 percent, your benefits also will increase by 2 percent. Reasonable Accommodation Any change in the job application process, work environment or work process, or modification to the benefits or privileges of employment, that results in equal employment opportunity for an individual with a disability. Augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) device An electronic device that talks for a person who cannot speak. The device usually has a recorded or electronic voice and can say words or sentences the user chooses. Optional Supplementation The payments made by States to help persons meet needs not fully covered by Federal SSI benefits. The State determines whether it will make a payment, to whom, and in what amount. 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. ADA Title I: Employment Title I requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide qualified individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from the full range of employment-related opportunities available to others.

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	Did You Know?
	EPSDT stands for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program A program mandated by law as part of the Medicaid program. The law requires that all states have in effect a program for eligible children under age 21 to ascretain their physical or mental defects and to provide such health care treatments and other measures to correct or ameliorate defects and chronic conditions discovered. The state programs also have active outreach components to inform eligible persons of the benefits available to them, to provide screening, and if necessary, to assist in obtaining appropriate treatment.