Impairment Connected Work Expenses are costs incurred as a result of the purchase or payment of specialized equipment, training, or anything else directly related to your ability to conduct work while disabled. When reporting your income for Social Security Disability payments, you can normally subtract any impairment-related job expenditures. The amount paid to cover impairment-related job expenditures is not deducted from your earnings for establishing your eligibility for Social Security Disability. Prior to calculating the amount of your SSI benefit that will be reduced as a result of your income, you may deduct impairment-related employment expenditures.
Almost anything that can be shown to be necessary for traveling to or from work or performing work might be recorded as an impairment-related work cost. According to Social Security Disability standards, you may add equipment or services that are used for non-work purposes. Hearing aids and wheelchairs are two examples of impairment-related work expenses that bring personal benefits. Both may be required for someone with the linked handicap to function at work. However, they are almost certainly also utilized in public and at home.
If you are uncertain whether a particular piece of equipment or service qualifies as impairment-related job expenditures, you should claim it. If approved, the cost will be withheld from your earnings before disability benefits are calculated. If it is not approved, it will not be deducted, but you will have incurred no loss. Your income will be considered in assessing your eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits in the future.
Several common impairment-related work expenses that are generally recognized as claimable under Social Security Disability include medication that impairs your ability to work, routine medical services that impair your ability to work, home modifications required to leave the house, prosthetic devices that assist you in performing work, attendant services which are performed while you are on the job, and additional transportation costs incurred as a result of your disabling condition.