Los Angeles disability benefits lawyers help disabled individuals to understand how the disability benefits program works. One common question that many people ask is whether it is possible to receive disability benefits and unemployment benefits at the same time.
Can You Get Disability and Unemployment Benefits at the Same Time?
In general, there is no rule that directly prevents you from getting both disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and unemployment benefits. However, that does not necessarily mean that you will qualify for both types of benefits or that it is a good idea to try to get both types of benefits.
Unemployment benefits are intended for people who have lost their jobs but who are looking for work. You need to be actively seeking a job to be entitled to unemployment benefits. Disability benefits, on the other hand, are intended for people who are too disabled to work in any job for which they are qualified. By definition, this means that you cannot be actively looking for work in most circumstances.
However, there may be some limited exceptions. For example, if you are qualified only to do jobs that require you to be highly physical, you may qualify for disability if you are too disabled to do this physical work because of a serious long-term health condition. If you're actively looking for a sedentary job but cannot get hired because you're not qualified, then it may be possible that you would be able to get both disability and unemployment benefits as long as you met the criteria for both programs.
A Los Angeles disability benefits attorney can help you to determine if you're eligible for both disability and unemployment and can otherwise help you to take steps to maximize your income. To find out more about how an attorney can help you, give us a call today.