Understanding Social Security Disability Benefits.

July 29, 2021 • by Jonathan B. Young

At DBD, we handle many different legal issues concerning disability. These can range from workers compensation cases to litigating for private disability insurance coverage and Social Security disability adjudication.

You must meet certain rules to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The following information will help serve as a guide to determine eligibility:

DISABLED WORKER

You must have the required work credits and your health problems must:

• keep you from doing any kind of substantial gainful work,
  and

• last or be expected to last, for at least 12 months in a row, or result in death.

CHILDHOOD ONSET OF DISABILITY

You must be age l8 or older and your health problems must:

• begin before age 22 or you must become disabled again within 7 years after the month that your earlier period of disability ended,

• keep you from doing any kind of substantial gainful work,

• last, or be expected to last, for at ]east 12 months in a row or result in death.

DISABLED WIDOW; WIDOWER. OR SURVIVING DIVORCED SPOUSE

You must be a minimum of 50 years old and your health problems must:

• keep you from doing any substantial gainful work,

• last or be expected to last for at least 12 months in a row or result in death,

  and

• have started before the end of a special period.

• The special period starts with the latest of:

  • the month your spouse died,

  • the month your Social Security benefits as a parent ended, or

  • the month your earlier period of widow(er)'s disability ended.

  • the special period ends at the close of the Eighty Forth (84th ) month or (7 years) after the month it started.

 DISABLED CHILD

If you are under age 18, your health problems must:

• be as severe as those that would keep an adult from doing any kind of substantial gainful work. This means that your health problems must limit you from doing things that other children the same age normally can do; to the extent required by our rules,
  and

• last, or be expected to last for at least 12 months in a row, or result in death.

Please contact attorney Jon Young to talk about any disability matter — email or call 215-362-2474.