Could Tiger Woods Collect Social Security Disability?
Most people would think that there is no way a man who makes millions of dollars each year could every qualify for disability benefits. But this is simply not true. No matter how much money a person makes in this country, as long as they are contributing to the Social Security system, if they become unable to work as a result of a physical or mental impairment, they can collect social security disability if the Administration renders them disabled.
Tiger Woods has captivated the media over the past few months. His decision to step away from the game of golf has raised the issue of whether or not Tiger is unable to work due to an apparent disability.
For an individual to collect Social Security Disability Benefits, they must be unable to work and have an impairment that is expected to last 12 months or result in death. More importantly, Social Security considers an individual to be working if they are earning $1,000 or more in a month. Although Tiger has stepped away from his profession of competing on the PGA Tour, he most certainly continues to collect money from his various endorsements.
For this reason, Tiger would most likely not be eligible to collect Social Security Disability benefits. Significantly, if Tiger was unable to play the game of golf AND he was unable to work in any other capacity, he might be able to collect disability benefits if he was no longer drawing any income from endorsements.
Even the wealthy can apply and ultimately be deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration. Disability Insurance Benefits and a person’s eligibility status is based on their work history. A person with a strong work history is usually insured for benefits 5 years after they stop working.
Tiger may have temporarily left the game of golf, but he appears to be mounting a comeback, at which point, the issue of whether he’s disabled or not will quickly dissappear.
February 27, 2010
Tags: benefits, Disability, golf, security, social, Tiger, Woods, working Posted in: Social Security Disability
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