Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyer Explains Caregiver Work and SSDI Benefit Claims
Are you receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits while also caring for a family member? This situation raises important questions about how caregiving duties might affect your disability benefits. At Keefe Disability Law, we understand the challenges of balancing your own health needs with serving as a caregiver for loved ones. Our experienced Boston Social Security disability lawyers can help you understand your options and protect your rights.
Understanding Caregiver Roles in SSDI Claims
When discussing Social Security disability and caregiving, it's crucial to understand there are two distinct scenarios that often intersect.
In the scenario to be examined in this article, a disabled person receives SSDI benefits while also serving as a caregiver for a family member. This creates unique challenges in balancing personal health needs with caregiving responsibilities while maintaining benefit eligibility. The second scenario involves how SSDI benefits can help pay for professional caregiving services.
While both situations involve caregiving and SSDI, they require different approaches and raise different legal considerations.
How the SSA Views Caregiving Activities
The Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates caregiving activities carefully when assessing disability claims.
First, they assess your ability to engage in physical activities. If you can lift and transfer a family member, the SSA might question your claimed lifting restrictions that prevent you from accepting full-time employment. However, context matters. Performing occasional emergency care differs significantly from working regular eight-hour shifts.
Secondly, the SSA considers how long and how often you provide care—duration and frequency matter. For example, if you care for a grandchild for two hours per day with frequent rest breaks, this differs from someone capable of providing full-time childcare as a nanny or preschool teacher.
Example Caregiver Scenarios and SSDI Eligibility
Sarah assists her elderly mother in the morning, helping her dress and prepare breakfast. Afterward, she requires rest periods and receives help from her sister for other daily tasks. The SSA may view this limited caregiving as compatible with her disability claim. Thus, Sarah may still be eligible to receive SSDI benefits.
By contrast, John provides round-the-clock care for his disabled spouse, including heavy lifting and constant physical assistance, while claiming he cannot perform any work. The SSA might question whether his caregiving activities indicate a greater functional capacity than claimed. In this case, the SSA may deny John’s SSDI application.
Protecting Your SSDI Benefits While Caregiving
If you find yourself responsible for the care of a loved one, like an elderly parent or sick adult child, there are steps you can take to safeguard your SSDI eligibility. Caregivers may still receive SSDI benefits in certain circumstances.
Document All Limitations
Thorough documentation is crucial when receiving SSDI benefits while simultaneously acting as a caregiver.
Start by maintaining a detailed daily log that records any difficulties you encounter while providing care. Write down specific instances where you cannot complete tasks without assistance, noting the time of day and nature of the limitation. Document when you need to take rest breaks, including how long these breaks must be before you can resume activities.
Pay particular attention to recording activities that trigger pain, fatigue, or other symptoms related to your disability. Also, note any modifications or adaptive techniques you must use to complete caregiving tasks.
Track Outside Assistance
Maintain clear records of all the help you receive from others while fulfilling your caregiving responsibilities.
Log when family members or friends assist with tasks you cannot perform. Document any professional care services utilized, including home health aides, visiting nurses, or respite care providers. Make note of tasks you must regularly delegate to others due to your limitations.
This documentation should include specific instances when care needs couldn't be met because of your disability. This helps demonstrate the real-world impact of your medical condition on caregiving duties. Include details about how your disability affects your ability to provide consistent care and why additional support is necessary.
Monitor Any Compensation
Maintaining detailed financial records is vital for protecting your SSDI benefits if you receive any payment whatsoever for providing care.
Record all caregiving payments, whether they’re from family members, state programs, or other sources. Track your hours carefully, distinguishing between active caregiving time and periods when you're simply available if needed. If you participate in programs like Medicaid Self-Directed Care, maintain thorough documentation of your involvement and any compensation received.
Most importantly, carefully monitor your total monthly income to ensure it remains below the substantial gainful activity limit of $1,620 for non-blind individuals as of 2025. Keep receipts, bank statements, and any other documentation that shows the source and amount of caregiving-related income.
Communicate with Healthcare Providers
Regular communication with your own healthcare providers about your caregiving role is essential.
Make sure your doctors understand both your caregiving responsibilities and your impairments. Ask them to document specifically how your disability impacts your ability to provide care and what accommodations you require. This medical documentation can be crucial if questions arise about your continued eligibility for SSDI benefits.
Report Changes Promptly
Any significant changes in your caregiving duties or compensation must be promptly reported to the Social Security Administration.
This includes changes in the number of hours you provide care, the level of care required, or any new payment arrangements. Being proactive about reporting changes helps prevent benefit overpayments and demonstrates your commitment to following program rules.
Tips for Managing Both Roles Successfully
Successfully balancing your own health needs with caregiving responsibilities requires careful planning and a realistic understanding of your limitations. The following strategies can help you maintain your well-being while providing the best possible care for your loved one, all while protecting your SSDI benefits.
- Create a backup care plan for bad health days
- Set clear boundaries about what tasks you can safely perform
- Use adaptive equipment when possible
- Schedule regular rest periods
- Coordinate with healthcare providers about balancing care duties
- Join support groups for disabled caregivers
- Consider adult day care services for care recipients
Examples of Documenting Your Limitations as a Caregiver
It’s helpful to maintain a disability journal that documents your impairments as they relate to caregiving duties. Be sure to write down dates and times.
Examples of journal entries you may enter include:
- Morning routine. Attempted to help mom out of bed. Required rest break after five minutes due to radiating back pain. Called sister for assistance.
- Daily activities. Could not lift grocery bags from car trunk. Neighbor helped bring in shopping.
- Assistance received. Had to stop cooking dinner for dad due to overwhelming fatigue. Used meal delivery service instead.
- Medical impact. Missed physical therapy appointment due to mom's doctor visit. Increased pain levels from overexertion.
Common Misconceptions About Caregiving and SSDI
The intersection between SSDI eligibility and caregiver responsibilities is often misunderstood. For example, while some people may believe that any caregiving activity proves you can work, the reality is that the SSA considers the context, limitations, and accommodations required for you to act as a caregiver.
Similarly, it’s a myth you must be completely inactive to receive SSDI. Rather, the standard is an inability to perform substantial gainful activity, not complete incapacity. Receiving any payment for caregiving does not automatically disqualify you from benefits, either. Only earnings above the SGA level affect eligibility.
At Keefe Disability Law, we can help you understand how your caregiving role affects your SSDI benefits. Don't risk losing your benefits due to misunderstanding the rules. Our Social Security disability lawyers can help you protect both your benefits and your ability to care for loved ones.
