Archive for September, 2010

Your application will be reviewed to make sure you meet some basic requirements for disability benefit and whether you worked enough years to qualify. Also, we will review any current work activities. If you meet these requirements, we will send your application to the Disability Determination Services office in your state.

This state agency completes the disability decision. Doctors and disability specialists in the state agency ask your doctors for information about your condition. They ...

You should apply for disability benefits as soon as you become disabled. It can take a long time to process an application for disability benefits (three to five months).

The information we need includes:

• Your Social Security number;
• Your birth or baptismal certificate;
• Names, addresses and phone numbers of the doctors, caseworkers, hospitals and clinics that took care of you and dates of your visits;
• Names and dosage of all the medicine you take;
• Medical records from your doctors, therapists, hospitals, clinics and ...

In general, to get disability benefits, you must meet two different earnings tests:

1. A “recent work” test based on your age at the time you became disabled; and
2. A “duration of work” test to show that you worked long enough under Social Security.

Certain blind workers have to meet only the “duration of work” test.

The table below shows the rules for how much work you need for the “recent work” test based on your age when your disability began. ...

Social Security pays benefits to people who cannot work because they have a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. Federal law requires this very strict definition of disability. While some programs give money to people with partial disability or short-term disability, Social Security does not.

Certain members of your family may qualify for benefits based on your work. They include:

• Your spouse, if he or she is 62 ...

Disability is something most people do not like to think about. But the chances that you will become disabled probably are greater than you realize. Studies show that a 20-year-old worker has a 3 in 10 chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age.

We provide basic information on Social Security disability benefits and these articles are not intended to answer all questions. For specific information about your situation, you should talk with one of our ...