Social Security Disability Qualifications

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Nov 1, 2019 | Sara Khaki

A lawyer can help you determine whether you qualify for Social Security disability benefits by analyzing a few categories and characteristics. The first thing an attorney would identify is your age. It is not that age alone would disqualify you, but an older candidate has better chances of success than a younger one.

The second thing they would look at is your work history, specifically how many years you have worked in the past decade. The status and quantity of your work credits directly impact your technical eligibility for disability benefits. Additionally, you can only qualify for benefits if you have valid US citizenship.

The next issue is establishing and measuring the severity and scope of your disability. Certain conditions do not qualify for disability benefits, so defining the nature of your impairment is important.

Your legal representative would also ask you about your medical care, like when you last received treatment and whether you have been seeing a doctor for your disability. If you have not seen a doctor for something that you are claiming disability for, that makes it much tougher to obtain benefits.

Medical Eligibility

There are no disabilities that will exclude you from benefits, but your condition must be expected to last 12 months or longer in order to qualify. For this reason, pregnancy does not qualify because it only lasts for nine months.

An example of medical eligibility would be if an individual is diagnosed with a stroke, their doctors expect them to be immobilized for another 24 months, they have slurred speech, and they have had some issues with their cognitive abilities. That candidate would not have to wait for their condition to last 12 months to apply. As long as it is foreseeable that it is going to last at least 12 months, that person will qualify.

However, some medical conditions make stronger cases than others. The ones that are easier to prove with objective medical evidence are more likely to yield a favorable outcome. For instance, mental health cases can be quite difficult to prove unless an individual has been seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist on a consistent basis and they have had inpatient treatment.

Common Cases

Common cases involve back injuries, mental health issues, and muscular-skeletal injuries such as carpal tunnel and heart disease. There are also a lot of cognitive cases submitted to the SSA. There are also devastating cancer, digestive issues, chronic colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome cases. People who have lost some massive neurological ability also commonly apply for Social Security disability benefits.

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Social Security Disability Qualifications

Medical Eligibility

Common Cases

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