public benefits

Social Security Disability Insurance is a federal program that pays benefits to injured and disabled workers and certain members of their family if the worker is "insured," meaning that they worked a required amount of time and paid Social Security taxes.

Compare with supplemental security income.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal program designed to assist individuals with little or no income and who are aged, blind, or disabled. SSI provides money to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.  See welfare.  

Compare with social security disability insurance.

Definition

Capable of employment. A person who is able to work is ineligible to receive unemployment benefits on the basis of illness or injury. 

Illustrative caselaw

See, e.g. International Union, et al. v. Johnson Controls, Inc., 499 U.S. 187 (1991).

Welfare Law: an overview

In the United States, welfare benefits for individuals and families with no or low income had been almost non-existent prior to the Great Depression of the 1930s. With millions of people unemployed, the federal government saw income security as a national problem.

health law: an overview

Broadly defined, health law includes the law of public health, health care generally, and medical care specifically. Preserving public health is a primary duty of the state. Health regulations and laws are therefore almost all administered at the state level. Many states delegate authority to subordinate govermental agencies such as boards of health. These boards are created by legislative acts.

Federal health law focuses on the activity of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It administers a wide variety of agencies and programs, like providing financial assistance to needy individuals; conducting medical and scientific research; providing health care and advocacy services; and enforcing laws and regulations related to human services. An important part of the HHS are the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversee the Medicare and Medicaid Programs. Their goal is to ensure that elderly and needy individuals receive proper medical care.

disability law: an overview

Disability law is largely regulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. This Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, housing, education, and access to public services.