Defining disability for SSA benefit qualification

On Behalf of | Mar 30, 2019 | Social Security Disability |

If someone in your family in Florida has experienced an injury or been diagnosed with a medical condition that prevents them from working, it is only natural that you would seek to file for disability benefits. However, before you proceed with an application, it is important that you understand the steps that will be involved and how the Social Security Administration goes about approving or denying these benefits.

As explained by the SSA, a person must qualify for Social Security Disability benefits based upon a variety of criteria. One of these is their past work history. They must have essentially paid into the system in order to benefit from it now. Beyond that, the focus is on the nature of the condition and the person’s ability or inability to work.

The SSA has a list of medical conditions that quality a person as disabled but before even looking at that, the agency will assess any income they currently earn from work and if that exceeds a certain amount, they may not qualify for benefits. The condition must be so severe that a person is unable to perform basic physical or cognitive tasks for a minimum of one year. The SSA will also review the case to see if the person could do any type of work currently.

If you would like to learn more about the various things that are assessed in determining whether or not you may qualify for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, please feel free to visit the disabled definition page of our Florida disability assistance website.

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