ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

CAN I GET SSDI?

Updated on: February 27th, 2023

To be eligible for SSDI, you must:

  • Be under 65 years of age
  • Have a lawful immigration status

o You do not have to be a citizen, but you must legally be in the United States and have a valid Social Security number. You must have proof of your legal status.

o If you had been working using a false Social Security number, you should contact a legal services organization for help with claiming your past employment. A list of legal services programs that provide free or low cost legal help can be found at http://www.massresources.org/legal-services.html.

  • Meet the Social Security five month waiting period (you will start getting benefits for the sixth full month after your disability began)
  • File an application for SSDI benefits (see below)
  • Be totally disabled according to the Social Security definition of disability

o This means that your disability prevents you from engaging in “substantial gainful activity” for at least 1 year or will result in death. Your disability must either be in the list of SSA’s disabling conditions or must stop you from doing any type of work. It is not enough to show that you are unable to do what did for your previous job. You need to also show that you are not able to do any work on a full time basis.
For example, if your previous job involved heavy lifting but you injured your back, you might still be able to work a full-time position at a desk job. You would not be eligible for SSDI in that situation.

o You can be working part-time, but you must be earning less than $1040 a month.

o SSDI does not give benefits if you are partially disabled or if your disability is short-term. Your disability does not have to be permanent, but must be expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. Once you are no longer considered disabled, your SSDI benefits will stop.

• Have sufficient work history and contribution to the Social Security program. You can access a copy of your Social Security statement online from the SSA at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/mystatement/. You will have to first create a free account and then access your statement with your username and password. If you do not have enough credits, you cannot get SSDI benefits, but you may qualify for Supplemental Security Income, a need-based cash assistance program, if you are disabled. You can go to http://www.massresources.org/ssi to learn more about Supplemental Security Income.

o The table below summarizes what qualifies as sufficient contribution for SSDI for each age group. The age group is determined by the age at which the disability first occurs

There is no asset limit for SSDI.

If you qualify for SSDI benefits, your family members will also be eligible for SSDI benefits if they fall into one of the following categories:

  • Your spouse, age 62 or older
  • Your spouse, of any age, who cares for your child, who is under age 16 or

    disabled

  • Your unmarried child, under age 18, under age 19 and in elementary or

    secondary school full time, or over age 18 with a disability that started before age 22

 

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