What Common Disabilities Qualify for Disability Benefits?
Any medical condition that significantly impairs your ability to perform the activities required to continue doing the work needed to support yourself and your loved ones may qualify for disability benefits. The Social Security Administration administers two disability benefit programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
There are, however, some qualifying medical conditions appearing more frequently in applications for disability benefits than others. You could call them common conditions, but when you cannot work because of a physical or mental impairment, it does not matter whether the condition is common or unique. What matters most is whether your medical condition meets the eligibility requirements for SSDI or SSI.
The disability attorneys at GCC Law Firm understand the importance of disability benefits for individuals who are unable to work due to a disability. They put together this overview of the disability benefits process to help you understand it and the common types of disabilities that meet the SSI and SSDI eligibility criteria.
Disability Benefits Eligibility Requirements For The SSDI And SSI Programs
Eligibility for the SSDI program requires that you worked for a sufficiently long period and paid Social Security taxes on the earnings from employment or the income from self-employment. The SSI program does not require a work history. It is a needs-based program with income and financial resource limits for eligibility.
Another aspect of the SSI program that distinguishes it from SSDI is that SSI pays benefits to disabled and blind children as well as adults. It also pays benefits to adults age 65 and older who are neither blind nor disabled, as long as they meet the SSI eligible conditions that limit income and financial resources.
It’s essential always to remember that, unlike disability programs funded and operated by state or local governments, the programs administered by the Social Security Administration do not pay benefits for partial or short-term disability. Only conditions that cause a person to be totally disabled qualify for federal benefits through SSDI and SSI.
- A person cannot do substantial gainful work activity because of a provable medical condition.
- The medical condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 consecutive months or to result in death.
- The medical condition prevents the person from doing work done in the past or adjusting to other types of available work.
An application for disability benefits goes through a five-step sequential process to determine whether you have a medical condition severe enough to cause permanent disability that prevents you from working by meeting all of the criteria of the federal definition of disability. One of the steps uses a listing of impairments to evaluate eligibility for physical and mental health disability benefits.
Common conditions qualifying for disability benefits – The Listing of Impairments
The Listing of Impairments, compiled by the Social Security Administration for use by application examiners, contains physical and mental impairments for each major system of the body. Listed impairments are considered severe enough to prevent a person from doing substantial gainful work activity, a key component of the disability definition. Each listed impairment contains medical criteria used to determine whether the medical condition in an application for benefits meets or is functionally equivalent to one of the conditions in the listing of impairments.
If your medical condition meets or is equivalent to one or more listed impairments, it typically means you are considered disabled under the federal standard, and the sequential review process ends at step three, the Listing of Impairments. However, not meeting or equaling a listed impairment does not end the process, which continues to determine if you can return to a past type of work or adjust to a different kind of work.
Listed Medical Conditions That Could Prove You Are Entitled To Disability Benefits
The Listing of Impairments has two parts: Part A, titled “Adult Listings,” and Part B, titled “Childhood Listings.” Although there is no official list of common disabilities for SSDI and SSI, the next best thing to it could be the Listing of Impairments. It’s almost a Social Security disability list of common disabilities because meeting or equalling a listed impairment generally means you met the disability standard.
Medical Conditions Listed for Disability Benefits:
The listings of mental and physical impairments for SSDI and SSI are not the only conditions that could qualify for disability benefits. If you have the medical evidence with a diagnosis from a healthcare provider and documentation that you followed the provider’s treatment recommendations, severe medical conditions other than those in the listings could qualify for chronic illness disability benefits.
Learn more about the application and disability review process from a team of trusted disability attorneys
Fewer than one-third of claims for disability benefits win approval during the initial application review process. Improve your chances of success with a complimentary consultation and claim evaluation by contacting GCC Law. Whether you have questions about qualifying medical conditions, need assistance with an application, or require skilled and proven representation to challenge a denial through the appeal process, let us help.
Call Our Illinois Fibromyalgia Disability Lawyers Today
At GCC Law Firm, our Illinois Fibromyalgia disability attorneys provide personalized, solutions-driven legal advocacy for clients. If your SSDI or SSI claim has been denied in Illinois, we can help. Contact us to schedule a free and completely confidential initial consultation, please contact our law firm today.
Call (479) 340-0002.