The unemployment rate among people with disabilities declined slightly in August, according to the United States Department of Labor.
The Department of Labor said the jobless rate for people with disabilities fell to 14.1 percent last month, a slight drop from 14.7 percent in July, although the number remains much higher than the rate for people without disabilities. During August, the Department of Labor said the country added 169,000 jobs, while unemployment in the general population was 7.3 percent.
The statistics for people with disabilities include people who are over the age of 16, who do not live in institutions.
While a slight decrease in the unemployment rate for the disabled is encouraging, it is still alarming that the gap has not been closed between the rates of those who suffer from disabilities and those who do not. Disabled people who are searching for work may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, which are determined based on a person’s work history.
In order to qualify for benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses two different tests including the “Duration of Work Test” and the “Recent Work Test”, which take into account how long you have worked as well as how recently in order to determine whether you qualify for disability benefits.
If you have questions about applying for disability benefits, contact a Tulsa Social Security Disability attorney. We offer free evaluations of your case, and you may reach us by phone at (918) 265-1404. Contact us today to learn more about your rights.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security Disability attorneys