SSDI, Social Security disability insurance is a program that is under the jurisdiction of the United States Federal Government. The program is designed to pay money on a monthly basis to people who have been able to prove that they are either physically or mentally disabled and that the prognosis is that the disability will last at least a year. To e eligible you must not have reached the age of retirement and you must not be in a position to do any meaningful work.
How to become eligible for SSDI:
Social Security benefits for those who are retired is a given, this is not the case if the application is for SSDI. The applicant must have worked a number of years prior to becoming disabled and in those years must have accumulated enough work credits though their continued payment of FICA, Social Security tax. It is not difficult to determine eligibility as one can earn up to four work credits annually. If the disability should begin before enough work credits have been accumulated then the alternative is to apply for Supplemental Security Income, SSI. To know what your particular status is you should consult with a Social Security disability attorney in Missouri.
Work credits:
The number of work credits that you need to be eligible for SSDI benefits all depends on your age at the time you become disabled. If, for example you were to become disabled at the age of 50, you will need to have 28 work credits to your name. Based on earning four credits a year as noted, this means to be eligible you will have to have worked for seven years, five of which have to have been in the last ten years.
Medical eligibility:
Having enough work credits is one thing; you must also have a disability that is recognized by the Social Security Administration. The eligible disabilities are those found in the SSA Blue Book, the disability must be severe and long term or thought to be fatal.
- Severe means the disability interferes with your work related activities
- Long term means at least a year
- Total disability means that you cannot perform any gainful activity for at least a year.
Approval of benefits:
Due to the complexities of the application it is wise to hire a Social Security disability attorney in Missouri, the chances of approval are far better with an attorney than without. Even if your initial application is approved you will wait for five months before you see the first check, if the application is denied the process can drag on for several more months. Although the period of waiting can be quite long, the first payment will be back dated to the date of your initial application, it is from this that your attorney gets his fee which is set by the government. Browse the site GrundyDisabilityGroup.com for more informaton
