Who is Eligible for Social Security Benefits?

You could qualify for Social Security Disability (SSI or SSDI) if you have a physical or mental condition that limits your ability to perform substantial gainful activity. The disability must have lasted, or be expected to last, for at least twelve months or result in death. You must also be under the age of 65 and have worked five out of the last ten years. (If you have not worked 5 of the last 10 years, you may still qualify for Supplemental Security Income or SSI). A qualified social security advocate or attorney can help you determine exactly what you qualify for.

The Main Factors of Eligibility

There are 5 main requirements that you must meet to qualify for Social Security Disability:

• You must have worked for five of the last ten years.
• This requirement applies to all applicants between the ages of 31 and 64. These years do not need to be consecutive but they must total more than five years.
• If you are disabled BEFORE you turn 24, you must have worked 1.5 years of the three years prior to when your disability began.
• If you are disabled between the ages of 24 and 30 you must have worked at least half of the time beginning with your 21st birthday and the date you became disabled.
• Your disability must have lasted (or be expected to last) longer than 12 months.
• This is called the durational requirement. To meet this requirement you must be, or expected to be, disabled for 12 months or the disability is expected to result in death.
• You must be under the age of 65.
• You must be unable to perform “substantial gainful activity.”
• Substantial Gainful Activity is the ability to perform work or work-like activity. School attendance, volunteer work, and other activities of this nature are also considered to be substantial gainful activity. If you are able to perform any type of work, even if it is not your previous job, the SSA will determine that you are capable of performing substantial gainful activity.
• You must provide a doctor’s diagnosis and medical evidence that supports your disability claim.
• Medical evidence of your disability can be provided in a variety of different ways. In whatever way it is provided it must demonstrate that you are suffering an anatomical, physiological or psychological condition that has prevented you from working.
• The SSA maintains a list of impairments that qualify for disability benefits. This list includes the criteria that must be met for the condition to qualify. If your condition is on this list and your medical evidence demonstrates that you have met the criteria, it is likely that your application for disability will be approved.

Some genuine cases are difficult to diagnose with objective testing, so a legal representative can best present your doctor's reports properly and convince the government that you deserve benefits. If you have concerns, have your disability claim reviewed free by an advocate or attorney in your state.