Published: March 24, 2008 07:53 pm         

Disability protection through Social Security exists for young workers

If you’re a younger worker, retirement probably seems like a lifetime away. In fact, you may wonder if your contributions to Social Security, deducted from your paycheck, actually cover you for anything right now.

By working in a job covered by Social Security, you automatically get disability and survivor insurance protection.

A worker under age 24 who pays Social Security taxes for just one and a half years is covered.

A worker under age 31 who pays Social Security taxes for half the time elapsed since age 21 is also covered.

If you’re like most workers, you probably don’t have private long-term disability insurance. But you do have disability protection through Social Security, which will provide benefits to you and your family if you become disabled.

About 3 in 10 of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before reaching age 67 — so it could happen to you.

The average disability benefit paid to a worker with a spouse and two children in 2008 is about $1,690 a month.

Social Security also provides survivors benefits. It is a sad truth that about one in seven young Americans can expect to die before reaching age 67.

Social Security’s survivors insurance pays an average monthly benefit in 2008 of $2,243 for a spouse and two children of a young worker with average wages who dies.

It’s good to think ahead to retirement, but Social Security is more than that.

It provides you and your family with protection now.

For more information on how Social Security protects younger and older Americans alike, visit www.socialsecurity.gov or call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).