What are the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Qualifications?
The first qualification has nothing to do with the applicants health. To be eligible for SSDI you must have worked 5 out of the last 10 years since the date you allege you have become disabled also known as an applicants onset date. Every individual will have what is known as a Date Last Insured or a DLI. Unlike its counterpart program, SSI, the requirements for SSDI do not have an asset threshold of family income which can disqualify an applicant technically. Therefore, a SSDI applicant can be a millionaire and still collect benefits if he has worked 5 out of 10 years since becoming disabled.
If you qualify for SSDI, the the Social Security Administration, (SSA) employs a 5 step sequential evaluation too determine if an applicant is eligible for benefits. Each step is listed below:
- Does your impairment keep you from being able to perform a substantial gainful activity (SGA), generally full-time, competitive, work?
- Is your impairment severe? AND, is your impairment expected to remain severe for at least 12 months?
- Does your impairment “meet or equal” one of Social Security’s “Listing of Impairments?” A listing of medical conditions, acceptable medical evidence, and the severity necessary for an impairment to be considered disabling. There are separate listings for adults and children.
- Does your impairment prevents you from being able to perform any job you performed over the last 15 years which was also a substantial gainful activity?
Does your impairment prevent you from being able to perform any other type of work which exists in substantial numbers of the national economy?
We will cover each of these steps in more detail on another page but the important part to remember in addition to the health qualifications the applicant must meet the work requirement or he/she will be technically denied for not having enough work credits.