How You Can Qualify For Disability Benefits

Social security considers the disability evaluation, AKA online compendium, that lists the physical and mental conditions to help automatically qualify you for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), presuming you meet the stringent list of requirements for each medical condition.

In this context, “automatically” implies that social security acknowledges these illnesses fulfill its basic criteria of disability, which is:

  • A disease or injury prohibiting you from working for at least a year or is potentially fatal.
  • Importantly, to qualify for SSDI, you must have worked for a specified period and paid Social Security while having extremely low income and financial assets.

To strengthen your chances of getting approved for disability benefits, employing a competent social security lawyer in Sacramento will be in your best interest. Let’s delve deeper into learning more about the SSDI qualifying process.

How You Qualify

As stated above, to be eligible for SSDI, you must meet the specific requirements. Generally, Social Security offers monthly payments to persons who can’t work for a year or longer owing to disability. Once the application gets approved, you may need to wait five months for your first disability benefit. In the sixth month, they will compensate you the full payment after discerning your impairment began. Social security may pay you SSDI benefits for up to 12 months before you apply if they confirm you had a disability at that period and you fulfill the eligibility.

However, while you can receive benefits until you resume working, there are also numerous distinct regulations, renowned as work incentives offering you consistent benefits and health care coverage to assist you in returning to the job. Those receiving SSDI payments at full retirement age will have their disability benefits automatically transferred to retirement benefits, with no change in amount. Consult a disability lawyer in Sacramento to understand the specifics of the SSDI.

How Do They Determine If You Have A Qualifying Disability

Here are a few question approaches to assess if you have a qualifying disability:

Are You Employed:

Social Security often applies earnings standards to ascertain if your earnings guidelines are SGA. If you aren’t working or are working but not performing SGA, they will further forward your application to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) office to make the medical condition judgment.

Is Your Condition Severe:

For nearly 12 months, your disability must seriously impede your ability to do crucial work-related activities, like lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or memorizing.

Is Your Illness Among Those Listed As Disabling?

Social security has a list of medical issues that are severe enough to preclude you from undertaking SGA for each of the major body systems. However, if your ailment isn’t on the list, they will determine if it’s as severe as the one on the list. If so, they will consider your condition as a qualifying impairment.

Can You Resume The Previous Work?

At this point, they will evaluate whether your medical impairment prohibits you from resuming previous employment. They will infer that your illness isn’t eligible for SSDI benefits if it doesn’t.

Do You Have Any Other Options For Work?

For people unable to perform their previous work, the social security team will explore whether they can perform any other work by considering their medical history, age, education, past work experience, and any transferable skills, despite their medical disability. If you don’t have any other options, they will qualify you for receiving SSDI. On the contrary, they will refuse your claim if you can perform an alternative job.

Related Blog – What Percentage Of Disability Appeals Are Approved?