(a) When reduction required. Under section 224 of the Act, a disability insurance benefit to which an individual is entitled under section 223 of the Act for a month (and any monthly benefit for the same month payable to others under section 202 on the basis of the same earnings record) is reduced (except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section) by an amount determined under paragraph (c) of this section if:

(1) The individual first became entitled to disability insurance benefits after 1965 but before September 1981 based on a period of disability that began after June 1, 1965, and before March 1981, and

(i) The individual entitled to the disability insurance benefit is also entitled to periodic benefits under a workers' compensation law or plan of the United States or a State for that month for a total or partial disability (whether or not permanent), and

(ii) The Commissioner has, in a month before that month, received a notice of the entitlement, and

(iii) The individual has not attained age 62, or

(2) The individual first became entitled to disability insurance benefits after August 1981 based on a disability that began after February 1981, and

(i) The individual entitled to the disability insurance benefit is also, for that month, concurrently entitled to a periodic benefit (including workers' compensation or any other payments based on a work relationship) on account of a total or partial disability (whether or not permanent) under a law or plan of the United States, a State, a political subdivision, or an instrumentality of two or more of these entities, and

(ii) The individual has not attained full retirement age as defined in §404.409.

(b) When reduction not made.

(1) The reduction of a benefit otherwise required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section is not made if the workers' compensation law or plan under which the periodic benefit is payable provides for the reduction of such periodic benefit when anyone is entitled to a benefit under title II of the Act on the basis of the earnings record of an individual entitled to a disability insurance benefit under section 223 of the Act.

(2) The reduction of a benefit otherwise required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section is not to be made if:

(i) The law or plan under which the periodic public disability benefit is payable provides for the reduction of that benefit when anyone is entitled to a benefit under title II of the Act on the basis of the earnings record of an individual entitled to a disability insurance benefit under section 223 of the Act and that law or plan so provided on February 18, 1981. (The reduction required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section will not be affected by public disability reduction provisions not actually in effect on this date or by changes made after February 18, 1981, to provisions that were in effect on this date providing for the reduction of benefits previously not subject to a reduction); or

(ii) The benefit is a Veterans Administration benefit, a public disability benefit (except workers' compensation) payable to a public employee based on employment covered under Social Security, a public benefit based on need, or a wholly private pension or private insurance benefit.

(c) Amount of reduction—

(1) General. The total of benefits payable for a month under sections 223 and 202 of the Act to which paragraph (a) of this section applies is reduced monthly (but not below zero) by the amount by which the sum of the monthly disability insurance benefits payable on the disabled individual's earnings record and the other public disability benefits payable for that month exceeds the higher of:

(i) Eighty percent of his average current earnings, as defined in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, or

(ii) The total of such individual's disability insurance benefit for such month and all other benefits payable for such month based on such individual's earnings record, prior to reduction under this section.

(2) Limitation on reduction. In no case may the total of monthly benefits payable for a month to the disabled worker and to the persons entitled to benefits for such month on his earnings record be less than:

(i) The total of the benefits payable (after reduction under paragraph (a) of this section) to such beneficiaries for the first month for which reduction under this section is made, and

(ii) Any increase in such benefits which is made effective for months after the first month for which reduction under this section is made.

(3) Average current earnings defined.

(i) Beginning January 1, 1979, for purposes of this section, an individual's average current earnings is the largest of either paragraph (c)(3)(i) (a), (b) or (c) of this section (after reducing the amount to the next lower multiple of $1 when the amount is not a multiple of $1):

(A) The average monthly wage (determined under section 215(b) of the Act as in effect prior to January 1979) used for purposes of computing the individual's disability insurance benefit under section 223 of the Act;

(B) One-sixtieth of the total of the individual's wages and earnings from self-employment, without the limitations under sections 209(a) and 211(b)(1) of the Act (see paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section), for the 5 consecutive calendar years after 1950 for which the wages and earnings from self-employment were highest; or

(C) One-twelfth of the total of the individual's wages and earnings from self-employment, without the limitations under sections 209(a) and 211(b)(1) of the Act (see paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section), for the calendar year in which the individual had the highest wages and earnings from self-employment during the period consisting of the calendar year in which the individual became disabled and the 5 years immediately preceding that year. Any amount so computed which is not a multiple of $1 is reduced to the next lower multiple of $1.

(ii) Method of determining calendar year earnings in excess of the limitations under sections 209(a) and 211(b)(1) of the Act. For the purposes of paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, the extent by which the wages or earnings from self-employment of an individual exceed the maximum amount of earnings creditable under sections 209(a) and 211(b)(1) of the Act in any calendar year after 1950 and before 1978 will ordinarily be estimated on the basis of the earnings information available in the records of Administration. (See subpart I of this part.) If an individual provides satisfactory evidence of his actual earnings in any year, the extent, if any, by which his earnings exceed the limitations under sections 209(a) and 211(b)(1) of the Act shall be determined by the use of such evidence instead of by the use of estimates.

(4) Reentitlement to disability insurance benefits. If an individual's entitlement to disability insurance benefits terminates and such individual again becomes entitled to disability insurance benefits, the amount of the reduction is again computed based on the figures specified in this paragraph (c) applicable to the subsequent entitlement.

(5) Computing disability insurance benefits. When reduction is required, the total monthly Social Security disability insurance benefits payable after reduction can be more easily computed by subtracting the monthly amount of the other public disability benefit from the higher of paragraph (c)(1) (i) or (ii). This is the method employed in the examples used in this section.

(d) Items not counted for reduction. Amounts paid or incurred, or to be incurred, by the individual for medical, legal, or related expenses in connection with the claim for public disability payments (see §404.408 (a) and (b)) or the injury or occupational disease on which the public disability award or settlement agreement is based, are excluded in computing the reduction under paragraph (a) of this section to the extent they are consonant with the applicable Federal, State, or local law or plan and reflect either the actual amount of expenses already incurred or a reasonable estimate, given the circumstances in the individual's case, of future expenses. Any expenses not established by evidence required by the Administration or not reflecting a reasonable estimate of the individual's actual future expenses will not be excluded. These medical, legal, or related expenses may be evidenced by the public disability award, compromise agreement, a court order, or by other evidence as the Administration may require. This other evidence may consist of:

(1) A detailed statement by the individual's attorney, physician, or the employer's insurance carrier; or

(2) Bills, receipts, or canceled checks; or

(3) Other clear and convincing evidence indicating the amount of expenses; or

(4) Any combination of the foregoing evidence from which the amount of expenses may be determinable.

(e) Certification by individual concerning eligibility for public disability benefits. Where it appears that an individual may be eligible for a public disability benefit which would give rise to a reduction under paragraph (a) of this section, the individual may be required, as a condition of certification for payment of any benefit under section 223 of the Act to any individual for any month, and of any benefit under section 202 of the Act for any month based on such individual's earnings record, to furnish evidence as requested by the Administration and to certify as to:

(1) Whether he or she has filed or intends to file any claim for a public disability benefit, and

(2) If he or she has so filed, whether there has been a decision on the claim. The Commissioner may rely, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, upon a certification that he or she has not filed and does not intend to file such a claim, or that he or she has filed and no decision has been made, in certifying any benefit for payment pursuant to section 205(i) of the Act.

(f) Verification of eligibility or entitlement to a public disability benefit under paragraph (a). Section 224 of the Act requires the head of any Federal agency to furnish the Commissioner information from the Federal agency's records which is needed to determine the reduction amount, if any, or verify other information to carry out the provisions of this section. The Commissioner is authorized to enter into agreements with States, political subdivisions, and other organizations that administer a law or plan of public disability benefits in order to obtain information that may be required to carry out the provisions of this section.

(g) Public disability benefit payable on other than a monthly basis. Where public disability benefits are paid periodically but not monthly, or in a lump sum as a commutation of or a substitute for periodic benefits, such as a compromise and release settlement, the reduction under this section is made at the time or times and in the amounts that the Administration determines will approximate as nearly as practicable the reduction required under paragraph (a) of this section.

(h) Priorities.

(1) For an explanation of when a reduction is made under this section where other reductions, deductions, etc., are involved, see §404.402.

(2) Whenever a reduction in the total of benefits for any month based on an individual's earnings record is made under paragraph (a) of this section, each benefit, except the disability insurance benefit, is first proportionately decreased. Any excess reduction over the sum of all the benefits, other than the disability insurance benefit, is then applied to the disability insurance benefit.

(i) Effect of changes in family composition. The addition or subtraction in the number of beneficiaries in a family may cause the family benefit to become, or cease to be, the applicable limit for reduction purposes under this section. When the family composition changes, the amount of the reduction is recalculated as though the new number of beneficiaries were entitled for the first month the reduction was imposed. If the applicable limit both before and after the change is 80 percent of the average current earnings and the limitation on maximum family benefits is in effect both before and after the change, the amount payable remains the same and is simply redistributed among the beneficiaries entitled on the same earnings record.

(j) Effect of social security disability insurance benefit increases. Any increase in benefits due to a recomputation or a statutory increase in benefit rates is not subject to the reduction for public disability benefits under paragraph (a) and does not change the amount to be deducted from the family benefit. The increase is simply added to what amount, if any, is payable. If a new beneficiary becomes entitled to monthly benefits on the same earnings record after the increase, the amount of the reduction is redistributed among the new beneficiaries entitled under section 202 of the Act and deducted from their current benefit rate.

(k) Effect of changes in the amount of the public disability benefit. Any change in the amount of the public disability benefit received will result in a recalculation of the reduction under paragraph (a) and, potentially, an adjustment in the amount of such reduction. If the reduction is made under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, any increased reduction will be imposed effective with the month after the month the Commissioner received notice of the increase in the public disability benefit (it should be noted that only workers' compensation can cause this reduction). Adjustments due to a decrease in the amount of the public disability benefit will be effective with the actual date the decreased amount was effective. If the reduction is made under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, any increase or decrease in the reduction will be imposed effective with the actual date of entitlement to the new amount of the public disability benefit.

(l) Redetermination of benefits—

(1) General. In the second calendar year after the year in which reduction under this section in the total of an individual's benefits under section 223 of the Act and any benefits under section 202 of the Act based on his or her wages and self-employment income is first required (in a continuous period of months), and in each third year thereafter, the amount of those benefits which are still subject to reduction under this section are redetermined, provided this redetermination does not result in any decrease in the total amount of benefits payable under title II of the Act on the basis of the workers' wages and self-employment income. The redetermined benefit is effective with the January following the year in which the redetermination is made.

(2) Average current earnings. In making the redetermination required by paragraph (l)(1) of this section, the individual's average current earnings (as defined in paragraph (c)(3) of this section) is deemed to be the product of his average current earnings as initially determined under paragraph (c)(3) of this section and:

(i) The ratio of the average of the total wages (as defined in §404.1049) of all persons for whom wages were reported to the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate for the calendar year before the year in which the redetermination is made, to the average of the total wages of all person reported to the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate for calendar year 1977 or, if later, the calendar year before the year in which the reduction was first computed (but not counting any reduction made in benefits for a previous period of disability); and

(ii) In any case in which the reduction was first computed before 1978, the ratio of the average of the taxable wages reported to the Commissioner of Social Security for the first calendar quarter of 1977 to the average of the taxable wages reported to the Commissioner of Social Security for the first calendar quarter of the calendar year before the year in which the reduction was first computed (but not counting any reduction made in benefits for a previous period of disability). Any amount determined under the preceding two sentences which is not a multiple of $1 is reduced to the next lower multiple of $1.

(3) Effect of redetermination. Where the applicable limit on total benefits previously used was 80 percent of the average current earnings, a redetermination under this paragraph may cause an increase in the amount of benefits payable. Also, where the limit previously used was the total family benefit, the redetermination may cause the average current earnings to exceed the total family benefit and thus become the new applicable limit. If for some other reason (such as a statutory increase or recomputation) the benefit has already been increased to a level which equals or exceeds the benefit resulting from a redetermination under this paragraph, no additional increase is made. A redetermination is designed to bring benefits into line with current wage levels when no other change in payments has done so.

[32 FR 19159, Dec. 20, 1967; 33 FR 3060, Feb. 16, 1968, as amended at 37 FR 3425, Feb. 16, 1972; 48 FR 37017, Aug. 16, 1983; 48 FR 38814, Aug. 26, 1983; 62 FR 38450, July 18, 1997; 81 FR 19033, Apr. 4, 2016]