Many applicants are denied disability benefits, so waiting for a decision on your claim can be a very stressful experience. Luckily, there’s a way to tell whether you will qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Some obvious signs you’ll likely qualify for SSDI are: being unable to work due to a disability, having sufficient work credits, earning less than the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), suffering from a medical condition included in the SSA’s Blue Book, not having an advanced degree, being of advanced age, having lots of supporting documentation, and having assistance from a disability attorney.
Keep reading below as we discuss these signs in more detail.
8 Signs You’ll Likely Qualify for SSDI
There are always some signs through which you can figure out the likelihood of your disability approval. We will go over the signs in this section below.
1. Inability to Work
According to the Social Security Disability Insurance Program’s criteria, a qualifying disability is:
- A medically determinable, documented mental or physical impairment
- The impairment results in the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity
- The impairment can be expected to result in death, has lasted, or can be expected to last for a minimum of 12 months.
Remember: When a person engages in Substantial gainful (SGA) activity, they are earning more than a certain monthly amount (net of impairment-related work expenses).
This criteria also means that you’ll need substantial proof that your impairment has prevented you from working in order to have your disability claim accepted. To strengthen your case, be as detailed as possible when describing your abilities, previous work, and job responsibilities.
For instance, you may find that you are unable to lift a specific amount of weight while having spent the majority of your working life in a position that required you to move large items.
The Social Security Administration considers your job history during the last 15 years when determining whether or not you are disabled and eligible for disability benefits. It also evaluates your range of skills in terms of possible employment opportunities.
If you’re under 50 years old, the Social Security Administration may view you as more adaptable to alternative forms of employment, making it more challenging to obtain disability benefits.
Past Work
You will likely be approved for benefits if you can show that you are unable to return to your previous line of work. You should provide the Social Security Administration with any documentation from your previous employer that demonstrates your inability to work.
Proof in the form of weekly absences noted in an attendance log, for instance, would be sufficient. To back up your claim, you might provide documentation from your previous employer demonstrating that you often needed to take unscheduled breaks, or go for doctor visits.
Or your medical difficulties caused you to perform poorly at work or to miss too much time from work, leading to your dismissal.
Sedentary Work
A job that requires minimal activity from the worker is known as a sedentary job. If your work involves sitting at a desk all day, then you have a sedentary job. Lifting fewer than 10 pounds is usually needed in sedentary work. Additionally, you’ll need to be able to sit for six of the day’s eight hours.
If you can prove that you are unable to engage in sedentary work, you will automatically show your inability to engage in light or medium work. This is because the tasks involved in those types of jobs are more difficult and call for a higher level of physical strength.
2. Non-Medical Criteria
You need to satisfy both the technical and medical criteria for disability approval. It means that you must have been employed, have paid into the Social Security system, and have accumulated sufficient work credits to be eligible for disability benefits.
Work Credits
If you worked and paid Social Security taxes, you accumulated work credits. Each year, you can accumulate up to four work credits. To be eligible for disability insurance benefits, you must have a minimum of 40 work credits, per their guidelines.
Asking yourself whether you have been employed a minimum of five full-time years during the last ten years and contributed to Social Security regularly during that period could give you a good sense of whether you have sufficient work credits.
If you answered yes, then you probably have sufficient “work credits” to be eligible. Another option is to contact your regional Social Security office. The SSA’s Office Locator will help you find the nearest office in your area.
Substantial Gainful Activity
The Social Security Administration requires that your disability prevent you from engaging in SGA. In 2023, this implies having a monthly income of at least $1,470.
Monthly earnings below the SGA threshold are no guarantee of approval for disability payments any more than having a disability listed in the SSA Blue Book is a guarantee of approval. Having earnings over that amount does not necessarily disqualify you either.
The Social Security Administration may still find you qualified for disability payments even if your monthly earnings are higher than the SGA if they determine that you were given unique accommodations during your employment, worked unusual hours, or needed frequent breaks.
Monthly income for SSDI considerations does not include certain amounts that are deemed income for income tax purposes, such as alimony payments.
Similarly, even if your income is below the SGA threshold, you may still be denied assistance.
If the Social Security Administration determines that you can undertake alternative work or remain in your existing position with reasonable accommodations, you may be eligible for benefits. Applying for disability benefits while earning less than the SGA is a strong indicator of success.
3. Regular Doctor Visits and Follow-Ups
The frequency with which you visit a doctor for treatment speaks well for the success of your disability application. Seeing a doctor on a frequent basis demonstrates that you’re committed to improving your health or keeping it under check.
Knowing that there are preexisting conditions that facilitate the disability application process is also useful.
For instance, you may have lost the ability to sit or stand because of a medical condition. You either have to be in a permanently reclined position or continually on the move. This bolsters the overall strength of the case.
If your disability is terminal and unlikely to improve, you have a stronger case for disability benefits. Here are some instances of degenerative chronic conditions:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Arthritis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Muscular dystrophy
- Huntington’s disease
People with these conditions have a better shot of getting through the application process.
4. Having a Blue Book Condition
The Social Security Administration’s Blue Book is the definitive resource for determining benefit eligibility. Many thousands of entries detail various disabilities and the severity of their associated symptoms required for approval of a benefit.
Having a medical condition and experiencing symptoms that match those in the Blue Book is a good indicator that your disability claim will be approved and you will receive benefits.
The Social Security Administration uses the Blue Book as its primary reference when deciding whether or not to approve a claim for disability benefits based on a medical condition.
The Social Security Administration employs a team of medical professionals to evaluate your claim and decide whether your impairment meets the criteria for inclusion in the Blue Book and whether the symptoms you’ve been experiencing are severe enough to warrant disability payments.
You can get a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) evaluation, which is an evaluation of your remaining ability to work after taking into account all of the limitations your severe medical conditions cause you. Think of it as “How much can you do and for how long?” if you’re unable to fulfill the Blue Book requirements. The SSA has a team of doctors who will assess your mental and physical capacity to determine if you are able to continue working.
5. Sufficient Supporting Documentation
The Social Security Administration requires applicants to submit medical records, doctor’s notes, and recent test results as proof of their disability. If you have the proper paperwork, you have a better chance of having your claim approved.
The Social Security Administration provides a detailed list of medical requirements for adults, along with the supporting paperwork you’ll need to prove your eligibility. Cancer, conditions that affect the circulatory system, and neurological problems are all examples of common types of disabilities.
Talk to your doctor ahead of time to make sure they are going to assist with your disability application. If your doctor disputes your claim and you don’t have the proper medical records, you may have a hard time getting your benefits approved.
Doctors can provide letters of recommendation, often known as doctor disability letters, to supplement the information provided on Social Security forms about a patient’s physical or mental impairments.
These letters can provide important context, such as a further explanation of your restrictions and expected outcomes, which can aid in the approval of your claim.
6. Not Having an Advanced Degree
Another positive indication that you will be granted disability benefits is if you don’t have an advanced degree. If you have a lower level of education, then it is likely that you will not be able to work in a position that is more specialized and requires a particular set of skills.
In order to qualify for disability payments, you need to demonstrate that you have been unable to participate in substantial gainful activity for a period of at least twelve months in a row.
A person is considered to be participating in SGA if they have a monthly income that is greater than a specified threshold. Your lack of further education could make it more difficult for you to obtain higher-paying jobs that would count toward SGA status.
The Social Security Administration categorizes jobs as either “unskilled,” “semi-skilled,” or “skilled” based on information from the Department of Labor. According to these standards:
- Jobs that require no special skills can typically be picked up on the job within a month. No special education or training is required for such jobs.
- Jobs in the semi-skilled range require some expertise but are not particularly complex in nature.
- Jobs in the skilled labor range need the training and experience to understand how machines work and how to apply abstract concepts.
In the event that your claim proceeds to the hearing stage, you will have the opportunity to present evidence based on your level of education to demonstrate why other employment that involves “skilled work” and counts as SGA will not apply to you.
7. Age
Your chances of getting disability benefits increase as you age. If you are over the age of 50, you have a better chance of having your SSI claim approved. If you are over the age of 60, things become even simpler. The SSA views you as “less trainable” as a result of your age.
Perhaps you used to work in a job that required a lot of physical labor, but now you’re unable to do it. If you were a younger person, the government could recommend that you get a job working in an office. However, if you are of advanced age, they probably won’t.
Some skill sets are not easily transferable to other jobs. The Social Security Administration lists the following categories of work as those most likely to be transferable:
- It takes either the same or less skill.
- The tools and machinery are the same or quite comparable
- It involves the same or a comparable amount of the same raw resources, goods, processes, or services.
You may not have the necessary abilities for an office job right away if your previous occupation was welding. Skills acquired in occupations like mining, agriculture, and fishing, for example, are not easily transferable to other fields. Also, the SSA is less likely to retrain you for a new job if you’re over the age of 50.
8. The Assistance of a Disability Attorney
Because the Social Security Administration has such a high rate of denying applications for disability benefits, the majority of successful claimants work with a lawyer who is well-versed in Social Security law and is aware of the requirements necessary to obtain approval for disability payments.
Having legal representation during the application process is helpful because getting benefits may take up to two years on average. Having a lawyer explain and guide you through the application will make the process much less scary and difficult. They will double-check everything to ensure accuracy.
Conclusion
You don’t need to be in constant anxiety as the SSA processes your application. By evaluating the signs above and comparing them to your case, you can easily find out whether you stand a higher chance of being approved for SSDI or not.
