Disability benefits may be provided in many different ways…through a State employer, through the Federal Government, or through a private company, just to name a few.
Oftentimes, a person with a State job, (let’s take Illinois, for example), may receive disability pay after being found “disabled” by their employer (the State of Illinois). This usually requires some ongoing documentation from your medical provider who indicates you are unable to perform you duties at work. If the State finds you are unable to do the job they hired you for, they will likely find you are disabled.
They will also push you to file for Social Security disability benefits. This is because IF you are found disabled by the Federal Government, the State of Illinois can recoup benefits they already paid out to you and will likely have to pay less to you in benefits going forward. This is because going forward, SSA will pay a portion of your disability benefits that the State was previously paying you. While your benefits will be unlikely to change, the State’s motivation is largely to cut down their own disability payment costs to you.
However, a BIG difference between the two programs (State and Federal) is that while the State must only find that you cannot do the duties required of the job they hired you for, the Federal Government will evaluate whether or not you can do any job in the national economy.
Our office has been helping State of Illinois employees navigate these competing benefits bureaucracies for years, and are here to help you, too!
