Social Security Disability Requirements

By: Lillian Stow

The Social Security Administration uses a 5 step process to determine whether or not you qualify to receive Social Security Disability.

Your work.

Your work will be evaluated. If you are not working, the Social Security Administration will automatically move onto the second step. If you are working, your earnings will be evaluated. The amount that you make will be compared against a predetermined allowance. If you make less than this allowance, then the SSA will move on to the next step. If you make more than this threshold, your claim will be denied due to having too much income.

Your medical condition.

The Social Security Administration must determine if your medical condition is severe enough to allow you to qualify for disability benefits. They do this by evaluating if your ability to work is significantly impaired for at least one year. If you have not been able to hold down work for at least one year, have trouble completing basic activities, and functioning properly, you will likely be evaluated using the next step. If your medical condition is not considered to be severe, the process will likely end here.

Are you on the list?

The Social Security Administration has a list of medical conditions that they consider to be severe. If your condition is on this list, your claim will move on to the next step. If your medical condition is not the list, the Social Security Administration's doctors will review your medical file and compare your signs and symptoms to the severity of medical conditions on the list that they have. If your symptoms are considered to be severe by the reviewing doctors then your file will move onto the next step. If the doctors decide that your symptoms are mild, then you will likely be denied at this step.

Can you do what you did before?

The administration will evaluate whether or not it is reasonable for you to return to the type of work that you were doing before your medical condition became debilitating. If you are able to return to the type of work that you did before, the Social Security Administration will not consider you to be disabled. However, if it is unreasonable to expect that you would be able to return to the type of work that you did previously, your social security disability application will move onto the final step of the process.

Is other work possible?

Once the Social Security Administration has determined that it is impossible or unreasonable for you to perform the work that you used to perform, they will see if it is possible for you to do other types of work. If you are able to do another type of work to have a steady income, you will not be considered disabled. However, if it is determined that it is impossible or extremely unreasonable for you to do any type of work to sustain an income, you will be considered disabled and eligible for benefits from the SS Administration.

Freedom Disability provides education and representation services to individuals interested in applying for Social Security Disability benefits in the United States. For additional information on Social Security Disability Requirements please visit Freedom Disability.

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