Social Security is with you throughout life’s journey. We’re here for you if the unexpected happens. We are there when you stop working. We provide vital financial support to tens of millions of American workers, primarily through retirement benefits, but also if the unexpected happens and a serious medical condition stops you from working and being able to support yourself and your family.
In such cases, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits, which replace a portion of lost income when a worker becomes seriously disabled. These factors determine if you qualify for disability benefits:
• Must have a lasting medical condition that prevents you from doing the work that you did in the past or adjusting to other types of work;
• Your physical or mental Social Security Today impairment(s) must have lasted or be expected to last at least a year or result in death; and
• You must have worked long enough and recently enough, in jobs covered by Social Security. To learn more about disability benefits, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
You become eligible for Social Security benefits by working and paying FICA taxes, which translate into Social Security ‘credits.’ How many credits you need to receive disability benefits depends on how old you are when you become disabled.
For example, if you become disabled at age 31 or older, you generally must have earned at least 20 credits in the 10 years immediately before you became disabled. Twenty credits are equal to five years of substantial earnings. Younger workers may qualify with fewer credits.
Social Security helps millions of other Americans by providing important financial benefits, information, and planning tools. Learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov.
~ Josh Weller, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Denver, CO