Disability Benefits - How You Qualify

Disability Benefits | How You Qualify
Table of Contents
 How You Qualify

 How Much Work Do You Need?
 What We Mean By Disability
 How We Decide If You Are Disabled
 Special Situations
 Special Rules For People Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision
 Benefits For Disabled Widows Or Widowers
 Benefits For A Disabled Child
 Publications
How You Qualify
To qualify for Social Security disability benefits, you must first have worked in jobs covered by
Social Security. Then you must have a medical condition that meets Social Security's definition
of disability. In general, we pay monthly benefits to people who are unable to work for a year or
more because of a disability.
Benefits usually continue until you are able to work again on a regular basis. There are also a
number of special rules, called "work incentives," that provide continued benefits and health care
coverage to help you make the transition back to work.
If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits when you reach full retirement age, your
disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits, but the amount remains the same.
How Much Work Do You Need?
In addition to meeting our definition of disability, you must have worked long enough — and
recently enough — under Social Security to qualify for disability benefits.
Social Security work credits are based on your total yearly wages or self-employment income.
You can earn up to four credits each year.
The amount needed for a work credit changes from year to year. In 2020, for example, you earn
one credit for each $1,410 in wages or self-employment income. When you've earned $5,640,
you've earned your four credits for the year.
The number of work credits you need to qualify for disability benefits depends on your age when
you become disabled. Generally, you need 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10
years ending with the year you become disabled. However, younger workers may qualify with
fewer credits.
For more information on whether you qualify, read our publication; How You Earn Credits.
Remember that whatever your age, you must have earned the required number of work credits
within a certain period ending with the time you become disabled. If you qualify now but you
stop working under Social Security, you may not continue to meet the disability work
requirement in the future.
What We Mean By Disability
The definition of disability under Social Security is different than other programs. Social
Security pays only for total disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or for
short-term disability.
We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if:
 You cannot do work that you did before;

 We decide that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical
condition(s); and
 Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
This is a strict definition of disability. Social Security program rules assume that working
families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term
disabilities, including workers' compensation, insurance, savings, and investments.
How We Decide If You Are Disabled
If you have enough work to qualify for disability benefits, we use a step-by-step process
involving five questions. They are:
1. Are you working?
If you are working in 2020 and your earnings average more than $1,260 a month, you generally
cannot be considered disabled.
If you are not working, we will send your application to the Disability Determination Services
(DDS) office that will make the decision about your medical condition. The DDS uses Steps 2-5
below to make the decision.
2. Is your condition "severe"?
Your condition must significantly limit your ability to do basic work such as lifting, standing,
walking, sitting, and remembering – for at least 12 months. If it does not, we will find that you
are not disabled.
If your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, we go to Step 3.

3. Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions?
For each of the major body systems, we maintain a list of medical conditions that we consider so
severe that it prevents a person from completing substantial gainful activity. If your condition is
not on the list, we have to decide if it is as severe as a medical condition that is on the list. If it is,
we will find that you are disabled. If it is not, we then go to Step 4.
We have two initiatives designed to expedite our processing of new disability claims:
 Compassionate Allowances: Certain cases that usually qualify for disability can be
allowed as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed. Examples include acute leukemia, Lou
Gehrig’s disease (ALS), and pancreatic cancer.
 Quick Disability Determinations: We use sophisticated computer screening to identify
cases with a high probability of allowance.
For more information about our disability claims process, visit our Benefits For People With
Disabilities website.
4. Can you do the work you did previously?
At this step, we decide if your medical impairment(s) prevents you from performing any of your
past work. It is doesn’t, we’ll decide you don’t have a qualifying disability. If it does, we proceed
to Step 5.
5. Can you do any other type of work?
If you can’t do the work you did in the past, we look to see if there is other work you could do
despite your impairment(s).
We consider your medical conditions and your age, education, past work experience, and any
transferable skills you may have. If you can’t do other work, we’ll decide you are disabled. If
you can do other work, we’ll decide that you don’t have a qualifying disability and your claim
will be denied.
Special Situations
Most people who receive disability benefits are workers who qualify on their own records and
meet the work and disability requirements we have just described. However, there are some
situations you may not know about:
 If You're Blind Or Have Low Vision - How We Can Help

 If You Are The Worker's Widow Or Widower
 Benefits For A Disabled Child
 Benefits for Wounded Warriors & Veterans

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Disability Benefits | How You Qualify

 How You Qualify

How You Qualify

How Much Work Do You Need?

What We Mean By Disability

We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if:

 You cannot do work that you did before;

How We Decide If You Are Disabled

1. Are you working?

2. Is your condition "severe"?

If your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, we go to Step 3.

4. Can you do the work you did previously?

5. Can you do any other type of work?

 If You're Blind Or Have Low Vision - How We Can Help

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