 SSDRC What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI? How do you Win Benefits under Social Security Disability or SSI? If I am determined disabled, how far back will Social Security pay benefits? How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition? What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits How to File for Disability - Tips for Filing If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare? How much does a Social Security disability attorney get paid? Social Security Disability SSI Criteria and the Evaluation Process How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability? What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability Benefits? Social Security Disability SSI and Fibromyalgia Social Security Disability SSI and Degenerative Disc Disease Can I Qualify For Disability and Receive Benefits based on Depression? Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability What Disabilities Qualify for SSI and Social Security Disability Benefits? Social Security Disability Status Social Security Disability Tips — how a claim gets worked on Social Security Disability, SSI Disability - Terms, Definitions, Concepts |
What does SSA consider a severe impairment for Social Security Disability or SSI Disability Benefits?How to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits Disability examiners (the individuals who make decisions on social security disability and SSI disability claims) have to discern, when they look at a disability application, a number of things. One of those things is whether or not the claimant's condition (which may be mental, physical, or a combination of conditions) is severe. What is severe according to the social security administration? Disability examiners actually get very little guidance on what is "severe". Obviously, for the purposes of awarding disability benefits, a sprained ankle or a minor cut is not severe, while a broken limb may potentially be severe is the limb does not heal satisfactorily. Because the word "severe" tends to be subjective, as in "many people disagree on what constitutes severe", the social security administration spends more time instead defining what is...not severe. For SSA, a mental or physical impairment is not severe if it only results in a minimal inability to work and earn a substantial, gainful income. For children's cases, a mental or physical impairment is not severe if it only results in a minimal inability to engage in age-appropriate activities such as academic endeavors. Most applicants who file for disability do, in fact, have at least one severe impairment. This is because the great majority of disability claimants only file a claim when their condition has become severe enough to affect their ability to work. And, in the case of parents filing on behalf of their children, claims are usually filed when a child exhibits physical deficits (asthma, adhd, seizures) or social or cognitive deficits that are often evidenced in a school environment. The question, therefore, for disability examiners and disability judges, is whether a condition has become severe enough to put a significant burden on one's ability to work or, for children, engage in age-appropriate activities. "How severe" a condition is can only be proven through evidence that is obtained by the social security administration, whether that evidence consists of medical records, academic records, letters from physicians, or special examinations that have been scheduled for a claimant by the social security administration. For this reason, one of the most important things a claimant can do is to always supply a detailed list of treatment sources when filing a claim for disability. Yet, despite the obviousness of this, many claimants, when they visit a local social security office, do not supply complete information. Sometimes, they leave many of their doctors off the disability application report form. And, amazingly, sometimes claimants fail to list entire conditions that they are afflicted with. In some cases, this may be because the claimant mistakenly assumes that social security can magically "look up" any information that pertains to their condition. However, records can only be gathered from medical treatment sources that SSA is made aware of. And for this reason claimants should supply as much information as possible when they apply for benefits. 
Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page Topics and Questions SSD and SSI are Federal Programs The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here: Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials |