If you are a resident of Florida and you have a severe disability you and your doctors do not believe is going to get better, you may have valid concerns about how you are going to provide for yourself without employment income. Depending on specific circumstances, you may be able to apply for Social Security disability benefits, which are monthly benefits available to some Americans who have disabilities that are so severe and long-term that they prevent them from working.
Per the U.S. Social Security Administration, one of the factors that will ultimately determine your disability benefit eligibility is your work history. First, you must have worked for a company or entity covered by Social Security, and second, you must have earned a certain amount of income within a certain amount of time. While the number of work credits you need to apply for Social Security disability benefits changes from year to year, there are also specifications you must meet as far as exactly when you earned those credits with regard to the year you became disabled.
The other major determining factor in whether you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits is just how severe your disability actually is. These types of benefits provide support for those who have particularly severe disabilities that will likely not improve over time. Additionally, your disability must be severe enough that you still would not be able to work, even if your employer made reasonable accommodations to make things easier on you.
While meeting the above criteria is likely to help your case, not everyone who applies for disability benefits ends up receiving them. The more documentation you have about your condition, however, the better your chances typically are.
