Were you injured at work? Do you suffer from an occupational disease? Or, were you injured in an accident or are you suffering from a debilitating medical condition? If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, you’re probably concerned about how you’re going to support yourself and your family. After all, it’s difficult to keep the income coming in when you’re disabled to the point where you’re incapable of working.
Fortunately, we have the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Social Security Disability insurance benefits, which is a federally funded program governed by the SSA. So, what is disability exactly? The SSA pays disability benefits to disabled individuals and certain family members, providing the disabled individual worked long enough and has a medical condition that prevents him or her from working, or is expected to prevent them from working for at least 12 months or it will result in death.
Qualifying for Social Security Disability Benefits
Do you qualify for SSD benefits? To qualify, you must:
- Not be able to work because of a medical condition that will last at least 12 months or end in death.
- Not have a temporary disability.
- Have a condition that meets the SSA’s definition of a disability.
- Be younger than the full retirement age, which is 66 if you were born between 1943 and 1954. If you were born in or after 1966, your full retirement age is 67.
Are you married or do you have dependents, such as minor children? If so, it’s important that you know that if someone is disabled, certain family members may be entitled to benefits based on the disabled worker’s record. We recommend looking at the Adult Listing of Impairments to see if your medical condition qualifies for disability benefits. Even if you don’t see your condition on the list, it doesn’t mean you aren’t eligible. You still may be entitled to benefits. Related: SSD & SSI: How Do I Get Paid?