Cavey Barrett Blog

No. 7 - Are you eligible for Social Security Disability?

To be eligible to file an application for Social Security Disability benefits you have to be insured. What? Now, I know that you haven't completed a disability application or paid a premium, so what do I mean by being insured?

The payroll deduction that your employer makes into the Social Security system is how you become insured. You have to be in the workforce for 20 out of 40 quarters to be insured.

If you have a gap in your work history because of illness, you may have lost your insured status for Social Security Disability, or you may simply have never worked.

If that's the case, the Social Security office will take an SSI disability application. What's that? SSI covers individuals who aren't eligible for Social Security Disability and don't have assets in excess of $2,000.

To be eligible for SSI, you must have a physical or mental impairment (or both) that:

(1) is considered severe;

(2) lasts for at least 12 months, or is anticipated to last that long based on your medical records;

(3) prevents you from working at the lightest job you held in the last 15 years;

(4) prevents you from performing suitable other work based on your age, education, work skills, and physical or mental limitations.

If you are not insured for Social Security Disability purposes, you may still be eligible for SSI.

At Cavey & Barrett we can help you determine whether or not you meet the criteria to be insured for Social Security Disability.

Answering these broad-based questions isn't easy. Help is a phone call away. You can contact Nancy Cavey, an experienced long-term disability attorney at 727-894-3188.