Start With The Right Program
SSDI is connected to covered work and insured status. SSI is based on financial need and has income, resource, residency, and other requirements. People age 65 or older can qualify for SSI without establishing disability. Statutory blindness also has special rules that should not be reduced to the ordinary disability screen.
A person with a limited work history may still have an SSI pathway. Someone with a small SSDI payment may also be eligible for SSI. Benefits on a parent’s or deceased spouse’s record have additional relationship and timing rules.
The Adult Medical Evaluation
SSA’s usual five-step process asks whether you are performing substantial gainful activity, whether you have a severe medically determinable impairment, whether it meets or equals a listing, whether you can perform past relevant work, and whether you can adjust to other work.
The impairment must meet the applicable duration requirement. Medical equivalence means at least equal medical severity and duration to a listed impairment; it is not simply being close to a diagnosis on a list. Not meeting a listing does not automatically end your claim.
Work, Age And Function
Working part time is not automatically disqualifying, and earning below a guideline is not an automatic approval. SSA evaluates countable earnings and the actual work. Self-employment, subsidized work, and unsuccessful work attempts require their own analysis.
For vocational decisions, SSA considers residual functional capacity alongside relevant work, age, education, and transferable skills. It generally uses an applicable five-year period for past relevant work, with additional requirements about the job’s duration and earnings. Being unable to obtain a local job is different from being medically unable to perform work under SSA’s rules.
Prepare A Useful Eligibility Review
Write down when symptoms began, when work changed or stopped, and where you received treatment. Gather existing notices and recent pay information. Describe specific problems rather than assigning yourself an approval percentage.
A screening conversation can identify issues to investigate, but it cannot replace an SSA determination. If you already received a denial, read the appeal deadline immediately. Reviewing eligibility should not cause you to miss a filing or appeal opportunity.
Sources & Further Reading
General educational information, not legal advice. Social Security determines eligibility.