How To Benefit From The Illinois State Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund

Aug 1
07:14

2008

Paul Abbey

Paul Abbey

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The Disability Determination Services office has to do a lot of research to check the veracity of documentary evidence filed before it by each applicant.

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Illinois is a state that operates a nonoccupational disability benefit program out of SERS funds. SERS stands for State Employment Retirement System. SERS operates a nonoccupational disability benefit fund for the benefit of those employed individuals living in Illinois State who become disabled.

The eligibility criteria to obtain these benefits is that you must have completed at least 18 months of service with SERS at the time you are removed from the payroll because of disability. Additionally,How To Benefit From The Illinois State Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund Articles you must have already used up all accrued leave available at your disposable. Moreover, a leave of absence on medical grounds must be granted by your agency.

You will start receiving nonoccupational disability benefits either 31 days after your absence from your workplace or alternatively the day you were paid your last salary, whichever occurs last. If your application for nonoccupational disability benefits is not received within a period of ninety days from the date of removal from payroll, the said benefits will begin on the date of receipt of your application.

If you are in receipt of any other Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits, you need to inform about them to SERS. This is because if you are more than 65 years old, your nonoccupational disability benefit amount will be reduced by the amount which you get as the Social Security pension benefit.

The SERS Disability section will help you with the process of how to apply for the claim and in the completion of your claim application The section authorities will process your application as early as possible. The time required for processing the application will depend on the time in which you and your agency will complete and return the requisite forms to SERS.

You can expect to receive your first disability check approximately 6 to 8 weeks after receipt of your last paycheck. Subsequent checks will be mailed to you on the 19th of the applicable month. In case that happens to be a holiday or a weekend, the check will be mailed on the working day preceding that. After you receive your first check, the Disability Section may contact you in a bid to obtain any information that was not included in your original claim application.

Every July and January, you may expect to receive a new medical form from SERS that your physician needs to fill up and send back to SERS, based on your physical examination by him. The exam is not required if you have already had it conducted by your physician in the last two months. You also will receive with the medical form an updated Release of Information Authorization form.

You will also additionally receive another form. It is certification to the effect that you have not received more than the applicable monthly gainful employment limiting amount while you are in receipt of the grant from the SERS nonoccupational disability benefit fund. In case you are earning more than more than the limiting amount, your disability benefit will be terminated. Moreover, you will need to repay the extra amount back to SERS.