Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal program that provides monthly disability benefits to disabled and injured claimants under age 65.
To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must meet several requirements. First, you must have enough qualifying work credits. The credits are based on the income you earned in prior years, and you may earn up to four quarters of credit per year. In 2018, for every $1,320 you earn, you can earn one quarter. Remember, however, that no matter how much money you make in one year, the highest number of quarters you can collect in any one year is four.
The number of quarters you need to qualify for SSDI benefits varies depending on your age. Typically, for disabled claimants over age 31 and under age 65, you need one quarter for every year after you turned 21 until the year you became disabled, and you must have earned at least twenty quarters during the last ten years.
All of the math to determine qualifying quarters can be very confusing. Often, I will tell clients to log into their My Social Security account to review their number of quarters and estimated benefit amount. If you do not have access to a My Social Security account, you can contact your local Social Security office.
In addition to having enough qualifying work credits, you must be disabled with a condition (or multiple conditions) and be unable to work due to that condition (or those conditions) for a period of at least twelve months.
The way Social Security determines disability is by reviewing your medical records and making a determination as to whether:
- You have past work (performed in the last fifteen years) that you can return to;
- You can adjust to other work; and
- Your disability is expected to last at least one year or end in death.
If, after conducting their review, Social Security determines that you cannot work in any capacity and that your condition(s) preventing you from working will last at least one year, they will find you to be disabled. If they either do not think your conditions are disabling enough to prevent you from working, or, that your conditions are severe enough to keep you from working, but for less than a year, they will deny your claim for benefits.
If your claim for benefits is denied, you can start the appeals process and explain to Social Security why you believe they are wrong. Often, it is during the appeals process that you will want to hire an attorney to work with you and fight alongside you for your benefits.