SSDI
Social Security Disability Insurance
SSDI is insurance you paid for with every paycheck. If a condition keeps you from working for a year or more, it pays a monthly benefit based on your earnings, and after two years it brings Medicare with it.
Most first applications are denied. That’s usually because the file is thin, not because the claim is weak. We gather what’s missing and argue it at every level.
You stopped working, or earn very little
The condition has lasted or will last a year
You worked enough recent years to be insured
The five questions the agency asks
Social Security decides every adult claim by asking these in order. A no at any step ends the claim there, so we build the file around the step yours turns on.
- 01
Are you working?
Earning over the monthly limit usually ends the claim at the first step, whatever your health.
- 02
Is the condition severe?
It has to limit basic work activity, like standing, lifting or remembering, for at least a year.
- 03
Is it on the agency’s list?
Some conditions meet a listing outright. Most claims don’t, and that’s fine; they go on.
- 04
Can you do your past work?
The agency compares what you can still do with the jobs you’ve held in the last several years.
- 05
Can you do any other work?
Age, education and skills count here. At 50 and over, the rules lean further your way.
What people ask about SSDI
How much would I get?
Your benefit is based on your earnings record, not your condition. Your Social Security statement, online or by mail, shows an estimate.
When does payment start?
After a five-month waiting period from the date you became disabled. Back pay covers the months after that wait, up to the decision.
Can I work part time while I apply?
A little, under a monthly earnings limit. Tell us what you earn and we’ll tell you how it reads to the agency.
Applied, or about to?
Call before you file if you can. If you already have, we’ll start from what you sent.