Social Security Disability Benefit Eligibility

To meet the requirements under the Social Security disability benefit eligibility program, you must have a physical or mental health problem (or a combination of such medical conditions) severe enough to impede you from working in any substantially gainful job for at least one year or result in death.

The test isn't whether or not you are able to go back to your old job, and the test isn't whether or not you have been able to find a job lately. Rather, the test is whether you are capable of doing any job available in the national economy (even if this job involves different skills or pays less than your previous work.)

By using an extensive set of regulations, the Social Security Administration takes into account your medical condition, your age, your abilities, your training and your work experience in deciding your Social Security disability benefit eligibility.

The Five Step Evaluation that Social Security uses to determine if you are disabled and to qualify for Social Security disability benefits is as follows:

1) Are you working? If you are and you are earning more than the current SGA amount, you generally cannot be considered disabled;

2) Is your condition severe? Your impairment must be expected to last one year or result in death and interfered with basic work related activities;

3) Is your condition found in the list of disabling impairments? Social Security maintains a list of impairments for each of the major body systems that are so severe they automatically mean you are disabled. If your condition is not on this list, Social Security has to decide if it is of equal severity to impairment on this list. If it is, your claim will be approved. If it is not, SSA goes on to the next step;

4) Can you do the work you did previously? Does you condition prevent you from doing any work that you did in the last fifteen (15) years. If it does not, your claim will be denied. If it does, your claim will be considered further; and

5) Can you do any other type of work available in the national economy? The SSA considers your age, education, past work experience, and transferable skills against the job demands of occupations as determined by the Department of Labor. If you cannot do any other kind of work, your claim will be approved. If you can, your claim will be denied.

If you are found qualified for Social Security disability benefits, you will get paid retroactive benefits beginning 5 full months after you become disabled, but only for a maximum of 12 months before you applied for benefits.