Social Security Disability Benefits Eligibility Requirements

There are certain requirements a person must meet in order to be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits:

1. The individual must have worked and paid Social Security taxes in the past. See “Social Security Credits” below.
   
   
2. The disability must prevent the applicant from returning to his or her job and from performing other work as a result of a medical condition.
   
   
3. The medical condition must result in either a disability that lasts or will last greater than one year, or death.

To ensure that an individual has a long-term disability, Social Security Disability benefits are not available until a person has been disabled for 5 full calendar months. These benefits are not available to those suffering from partial or short-term disabilities.

The Social Security Administration has produced a list of medical conditions which, if diagnosed by a medical provider, will automatically disable the individual for the purposes of receiving disability benefits. This list can be found at http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/listing-impairments.htm. If a person suffers from a condition that is not listed, she must be able to show that she is unable to return to any type of work as a result of her disability.

Social Security Credits

To qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, an individual must have a minimum number of “credits.” Credits are calculated based on how long a person works and how much they pay in Social Security taxes. The amount of income required to earn a credit varies from year to year. In 2007, $1000 in covered earnings is equivalent to one credit. A maximum of 4 credits may be earned annually.

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