Social Security Disability Aid

Social security disability eligibility is decided by a 5 question, step-by-step process. Remember, this is a government agency so all of their processes and procedures will be step-by-step. The bureaucracy seems to love a numbered if this, then that procedure for making decisions.

The very first question they ask is an obvious question. They want to know, "Are your working?" If you are working, they apply a means test. The determination for this means test is the amount you make per month. For example, in 2008, if your earnings average more than $940 a month, you generally cannot be considered disabled.

This is purely mathematical and not absolute as you will see later in this explanation. Social security disability is a program with a lot of twists and turns.

On the other hand, if you are not working, question 2 comes into play. They will want to know if your condition is severe. In order to be considered severe by Social Security, it   must interfere with basic work-related activities.

If it does not, your claim will not be considered and Social Security will find you are not disabled.
As in question 2, if your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, you will have to answer question 3. Actually you don't answer question 3, Social Security answers it by looking at their list of medical conditions.

They want to know if your condition is found in their list of disabling conditions. This list is in 2 parts. Part A applies to people 18 and over while Part B applies to people under the age of 18.

This list of disabling conditions is pretty extensive and covers the major body systems. The list starts on http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/listing-impairments.htm and goes on for several pages. You should read these pages before you make a claim. That way you will have information you can present to the claims person at your local Social Security office.

If your condition is on this list, it means it is so severe you are automatically considered disabled. Some people have conditions not on the list. If you are one of those and feel you have a claim, prepare your paperwork because once Social Security receives your claim, they have to decide if it is of equal severity to a medical condition that is on the list.

For the sake of this article we will say they find that it is equal to a medical condition on the list. That means they will find you are disabled.

To present a balanced picture, let's say it is not. Social Security will then go to question 4. They will want to know if you can do the work you did previously. This just makes sense.

It makes sense because if your condition is severe but not at the same or equal level of severity as a medical condition on the list, the SSA has to make another determination. They will have to determine if your condition interferes with your ability to do the work you did previously.

If the SSA determines it does not interfere with your ability to do the work you did previously, your claim will be denied. Social Security considers you are able to work and therefore not entitled to a disability claim.
On the other hand, if it does, Social Security will move onto question 5. They will want to know if you can do any other type of work. Again, this makes sense from their point of view.

They actually have the notion that if you cannot do the work you did in the past, you may be able to adjust to other work. It is like work training in another field.

In order to be trained in another field, Social Security must weigh several factors. These are obvious factors anyone would consider and consist of not only your medical conditions but your age, education, past work experience and any transferable skills you may have.

After they evaluate these factors you will receive one of two decisions. The first decision is rather obvious. Your claim will be approved if you cannot adjust to other work.

The second decision is also obvious. Your claim will be denied if you can adjust to other work. Those are the only two decisions Social Security disability can make.