Do You Qualify For Social Security Disability?
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
It’s not something that anyone actually wishes would happen, but it’s important to be prepared and to have a backup plan in case of an emergency. There may come a time when, through no fault of your own, you may receive an injury and be unable to work. If that happens, especially if you’re a parent in a family, that means that the financial well-being of your entire family may now be at risk due to your inability to draw a salary.But there is help available. Some of it may come from your employer if you were injured on the job, and your company has some kind of workers compensation insurance. But if you were not injured on the job, and it happened somewhere else, in all fairness, your company has no obligation to financially support you.
The government, however, might. It’s called social security disability insurance, or SSDI, and you may already qualify for it in the event that something happens to you.
Catching You When You Fall
The first thing to keep in mind with social security disability insurance is that the name says it all. One of the biggest qualifiers for SSDI is that you must have a condition that currently prevents you from working. Howev-er, the goal here is to help you get back on your feet and resume a normal life. So, for example, in the worst case scenario of being a quadriplegic and in losing permanent mobility of all limbs, SSDI would not mean a lifetime of financial support.
In order to qualify for SSDI, there need to be two major qualifying factors in place. The first is that you must have previously been working in for a minimum period of time in a job for which SSDI would consider you are entitled to coverage. So, working for just a few weeks, part-time, in a fast food outlet would not suddenly grant you access to SSDI coverage if you got injured. On the other hand, if you worked a full-time job for several years as a plumber, mechanic, accountant or even a writer, these are all considered valid occupations that fall under SSDI coverage.
Helping You Recover
The other factor is that the condition you have become afflicted with must fall within a range of medical condi-tions that qualify for SSDI coverage. So, for example, people that work difficult jobs in factories or construc-tion who sustain back injuries would qualify for SSDI. Contracting a serious disease, such as cancer, may also qualify for SSDI.
On the other hand, coming down with an addiction like alcoholism does not qualify as a recognized condition, and the government would not issue financial support to treat this. There is also a certain minimum level of se-verity required. If you sustain a back injury, for example, but the diagnosis is that you will recover in just a few weeks, and be back to work in less than a month, SSDI would be unlikely to be dispensed during that time.
When in doubt, however, it’s always best to get professional help. If you have any questions, it’s good to clear them with someone experienced, such as a social security lawyer who can tell you whether your qualify for SSDI, or what to do if you made a claim, but were denied.