What physicians and claimants should know

Practically every person who files for disability benefits understands that their medical records will be used to determine whether or not they are approved. And every physician who becomes aware of a patient's disability application knows, or should know, that the information they furnish to the social security administration may play a large role in deciding the outcome of their patient's claim. However, beyond this, the vast majority of claimants and physicians know relatively little about the approval criteria used by SSA for disability claims.

So,how does one qualify for disability benefits from the social security administration and what must a claimant's records demonstrate in order for this to occur?

For both title II (social security disability) and title 16 (SSI disability) benefits, a claimant must satisfy the following requirements:

1. They must have a severe condition (though SSA has little difficulty differentiating a severe impairment from a non-severe impairment, the process is, still, largely subjective).

2. For the condition to be considered disabling, it must have a duration of at least one year and, in that time, it must limit an individual's ability to work and earn at least a substantial and gainful income while in the performance of past work or suitable other work (as determined by one's age, education, work skills, and rated residual functional capacity).








For information on Social Security Disability, visit the

Social Security Disability SSI Resource Center




















Additional Resources

Applying for retirement from social security
Strategies for retirement
Projections for your retirement
Too many are not saving for retirement
Policies for disability insurance
Power mobility assistance and medicare
Disability Questions