The Social Security Administration (SSA) is notorious for rejecting applications. Some people even claim that the SSA denies everyone at first. In reality, a small percentage of applicants get approved right away, while others get approved on appeal.
Of course, only those with qualifying medical conditions will eventually get disability benefits. How can you determine if your condition qualifies before attempting to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits?
The SSA has clear qualifications
There are those that will tell you that only certain conditions will qualify you for SSDI benefits. Yes, you can look to see if your illness is on the extensive list provided by the SSA that includes many potentially qualifying conditions. However, simply having a diagnosis on the list does not ensure that you will get benefits, and having a condition not listed is not a guarantee that you will fail to qualify.
Instead of going on whether the condition is on an official list, it is best to try to objectively analyze your condition to see if it meets the criteria for a disabling medical condition.
The SSA only approves benefits if the claimant’s medical condition will last for 12 months or the rest of their life. The condition must be serious enough that it prevents the claimant from working any job and possibly makes them dependent on help from other people for their daily life.
If you believe that your condition meets these criteria, then applying for benefits makes sense in your case. Learning more about the basic rules that apply to SSDI benefits claims can help those struggling to make ends meet because of a medical issue.