Social security disability is designed to provide financial assistance to those individuals who meet the definition of disabled and who are no longer able to work. There are two different programs. SSI or supplemental security income is available to individuals who are over age 65, blind or disabled and cannot work and who do not have the necessary financial means to provide certain necessities as well as limited assets and resources. The good thing about this program is that you do not have to have worked in order to qualify. If you have not worked long enough, or recently enough, SSI may be the right social security disability program for you and your family. This post is here to give you more information on the second type of social security disability, SSD.

SSD is aimed at individuals who have a work record and who have contributed to social security through paychecks from employers. In order to qualify for this program you need to meet two criteria. You have to have the requisite amount of work credits and you must also meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability.

The term disabled as defined by the Social Security Administration is a term of art and has an explicit definition. Disability is defined as an inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by way of any medically determinable mental or physical impairment which is expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than one year. Social security disability is set up for those who cannot do their past work as a result of a mental or physical impairment considering age, education, and work experience to determine if this individual can engage in any substantial gainful activity that exists in the national economy, i.e. work that exists in significant numbers. If you meet this definition then you have overcome the first hurdle in winning SSD benefits.

The next hurdle deals with the amount of work credits, or quarters of coverage necessary to qualify for SSD. Whether you know it or not, each time you receive a paycheck a portion of our money goes into the social security fund. In order to get that money you have contributed, you must have worked long enough and recently enough. The general rule of thumb for a typical social security claimant is five out of the past ten years before becoming disabled. This is the general rule and will be a good starting point for most individuals. There are different rules for claimants who become disabled at younger ages, but that can be reserved for another post. If you have enough credits and you are disabled, you would be eligible to receive monthly social security benefits.

The good news for those individuals who are disabled and exceed the income and asset levels allowable for an SSI claim, SSD does not take into consideration income, assets, or resources owned by a claimant. If you are disabled, and you have enough work credits, you will receive SSD monthly benefits.

To find out more about the types of programs available you can check out the Social Security Administration’s website, or you can browse around on this site. While these two sources are great starting points, the best place to get the most current information is to contact a social security disability attorney.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 29th, 2005 at 9:54 am and is filed under Social Security Disability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.