 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 |
When does social security consider you eligible for disability benefits?How to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits There is a definition of disability that is used by the social security administration for both the social security disability and SSI disability programs. Though it might surprise some people, the definition is just as dependent on vocational information as it is on medical information. What does the SSA definition of disability say? Basically that, to qualify for disability benefits, a person's condition (or conditions, and they can be either physical or mental, or more than one of each) must be severe enough that they no longer have the ability to work and earn a substantial and gainful income. The way the definition is applied is as follows: A disability examiner working on a disability claim will thoroughly review an applicant's medical records to determine what their limitations are. For physical limitations, the disability examiner will review the records and then rate the claimant as being able to perform heavy, medium, light, sedentary, or less than sedentary work activity. Less than sedentary will always result in a disability approval, while being rated at a higher work activity level may result in an approval depending on other factors. Those factors include what the claimant did in their past work (and what those jobs required), what the claimant's work skills are, how well educated they are, and how old they are. The older you are, the more consideration the disability system will give since it is generally assumed that with greater age has a person has fewer job opportunities. The physical rating that a claimant receives (known as their RFC, or residual functional capacity, rating) will be used to determine if they receive disability benefits. However, claimants are also rated for their mental limitations. An MRFC, or mental residual functional capacity rating, is conducted if the claimant indicated on their disablity application that they had a cognitive problem (learning disability or memory problems, or limited IQ) or psychiatric problems (depression, bipolar disorder). The MRFC rating will indicate whether or not the claimant has any of the following: difficulty learning new tasks, performing tasks that require attention and concentration, working in a changing work environment, integrating with co-workers and supervisory personnel, and a wide range of other mental characteristics that would impact their ability to persist in a work environment. The mental and physical ratings a claimant receives from a disability examiner--and the medical and the mental consultants that the disability examiner works with in his or her claims processing unit--will be used to determine several things. The first will be whether or not the claimant still has the ability to work at one of their former jobs. If that is not possible, the examiner will decide whether or not the claimant can do some type of other work. If that is also not possible, the examiner may decide that the claimant is disabled. continued at: Eligibility for Disability Benefits as Viewed by Social Security 
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 |