How to Get Disability Benefits

Filing for and obtaining disability benefits can be a difficult task, and the laws regarding social security disability are often complicated. Getting social security benefits will generally take between 3-5 months, so disabled workers are encouraged to talk to a disability lawyer for help speeding up the process. In most cases, the legal fees will be covered by the benefits plan, so it can help applicants get compensation in a shorter time frame.

Social Security Disability Eligibility Requirements

In general, applicants must qualify for disability benefits by meeting the earnings requirements. These outline how many years the disabled worker must have worked and paid into social security prior to becoming disabled. They are as follows:

Years of Work Required Depending on Age When Disabled

Age at Disability	Years of Work Required
Age 30	2 years
Age 34	3 years
Age 38	4 years
Age 42	5 years
Age 46	6 years
Age 50	7 years
Age 54	8 years
Age 58	9 years
Age 60	9.5 years

Qualifying Disabilities

Applicants will need to show that their disability qualifies, and is on the list of impairments. A social security officer will determine whether or not the applicant is disabled, as defined by Social Security.

The list of impairments is outline below:

1.01 Musculoskeletal

1.02 Major dysfunction of a joint(s) (due to any cause):
1.03 Reconstructive surgery or surgical arthrodesis of a major weight- bearing joint,
1.04 Disorders of the spine
1.05 Amputation (due to any cause).
1.06 Fracture of the femur, tibia, pelvis, or one or more of the tarsal bones.
1.07 Fracture of an upper extremity
1.08 Soft tissue injury (e.g., burns)

2.01 Special Senses and Speech

2.02 Loss of visual acuity.
2.03 Contraction of the visual field in the better eye,
2.04 Loss of visual efficiency.
2.07 Disturbance of labyrinthine vestibular function (including Meniere’s disease),
2.08 Hearing impairments (hearing not restorable by a hearing aid) manifested by:
2.09 Loss of speech

3.01 Respiratory System

3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency
3.03 Asthma
3.04 Cystic fibrosis
3.05 [Reserved.]
3.06 Pneumoconiosis
3.07 Bronchiectasis
3.08 Mycobacterial, mycotic, and other chronic persistent infections of the lung (
3.09 Cor pulmonale secondary to chronic pulmonary vascular hypertension.
3.10 Sleep-related breathing disorders.
3.11 Lung transplant

4.0 Cardiovascular System

4.02 Chronic heart failure
4.04 Ischemic heart disease,
4.05 Recurrent arrhythmias,
4.06 Symptomatic congenital heart disease
4.09 Heart transplant
4.10 Aneurysm of aorta or major branches,
4.11 Chronic venous insufficiency
4.12 Peripheral arterial disease

5.0 Digestive System

5.02 Gastrointestinal hemorrhaging from any cause, requiring blood transfusion
5.03 [Reserved]
5.04 [Reserved]
5.05 Chronic liver disease,
5.06 Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
5.07 Short bowel syndrome (SBS
5.08 Weight loss due to any digestive disorder
5.09 Liver transplantation

6.0 Genitourinary System

6.02 Impairment of renal function
6.06 Nephrotic syndrome,

7.0 Hematological Disorders

7.02 Chronic anemia (hematocrit persisting
7.05 Sickle cell disease, or one of its variants.
7.06 Chronic thrombocytopenia (due to any cause),
7.07 Hereditary telangiectasia
7.08 Coagulation defects (hemophilia or a similar disorder) 7.09 Polycythemia vera (with erythrocytosis, splenomegaly, and leukocytosis or thrombocytosis).
7.10 Myelofibrosis (myeloproliferative syndrome).
7.15 Chronic granulocytopenia (due to any cause).
7.17 Aplastic anemias with bone marrow or stem cell transplantation

8.0 Skin Disorders

8.02 Ichthyosis
8.03 Bullous disease
8.04 Chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes.
8.05 Dermatitis
8.06 Hidradenitis suppurativa
8.07 Genetic photosensitivity disorders
8.08 Burns

9.0 Endocrine System

9.02 Thyroid disorders..
9.03 Hyperparathyroidism
9.04 Hypoparathyroidism
9.05 Neurohypophyseal insufficiency (diabetes insipidus
9.06 Hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex.
9.08 Diabetes mellitus.

10.0 Impairments that affect Multiple Body Systems

10.06 Non-mosaic Down syndrome

11.0 Neurological System

11.02 Epilepsy - convulsive epilepsy, (grand mal or psychomotor), documented by detailed description of a typical seizure pattern, including all associated phenomena; occurring more frequently than once a month, in spite of at least 3 months of prescribed treatment
11.03 Epilepsy - nonconvulsive epilepsy (petit mal, psychomotor, or focal), documented by detailed description of a typical seizure pattern including all associated phenomena, occurring more frequently than once weekly in spite of at least 3 months of prescribed treatment.
11.04 Central nervous system vascular accident.
11.05 Benign brain tumors
11.06 Parkinsonian syndrome
11.07 Cerebral palsy.
11.08 Spinal cord or nerve root lesions, due to any cause
11.09 Multiple sclerosis.
11.10 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
11.11 Anterior poliomyelitis.
11.12 Myasthenia gravis.
11.13 Muscular dystrophy
11.14 Peripheral neuropathies..
11.15 [Reserved.]
11.16 Subacute combined cord degeneration (pernicious anemia) with disorganization of motor function as described in 11.04B, not significantly improved by prescribed treatment.
11.17 Degenerative disease not listed elsewhere, such as Huntington's Chorea, Friedreich's ataxia, and spino-cerebellar degeneration. With:
11.18 Cerebral trauma.
11.19 Syringomyelia.

12.0 Mental Disorders

12.02 Organic mental disorders:
12.03 Schizophrenic, paranoid and other psychotic disorders:
12.04 Affective disorders:
12.05 Mental retardation:
12.06 Anxiety-related disorders
12.07 Somatoform disorders:
12.08 Personality disorders:
12.09 Substance addiction disorders:
12.10 Autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders

13.0 Malignant Neoplastic Diseases

13.02 Soft tissue tumors of the head and neck (except salivary glands—13.08—and thyroid gland – 13.09).
13.03 Skin.
13.04 Soft tissue sarcoma.
13.05 Lymphoma (including mycosis fungoides, but excluding T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma-13.06 )
13.06 Leukemia.
13.07 Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings).
13.08 Salivary glands--carcinoma or sarcoma with metastases beyond the regional lymph nodes.
13.09 Thyroid Gland.
13.10 Breast (except sarcoma—13.04) (See 13.00K4.)
13. 11 Skeletal system --carcinoma or sarcoma.
13.12 Maxilla, orbit, or temporal fossa.
13.13 Nervous system.
13.14 Lungs.
13.15 Pleura or Mediastinum.
13.16 Esophagus or stomach.
13.17 Small intestine --carcinoma, sarcoma, or carcinoid.
13.18 Large intestine (from ileocecal valve to and including anal canal).
13.19 Liver or Gallbladder-- tumors of the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts.
13.20 Pancreas.
13.21 Kidneys, adrenal glands, or ureters- carcinoma.
13.22 Urinary bladder -carcinoma.
13.23 Cancers of the female genital tract -carcinoma or sarcoma.
13.24 Prostate gland— carcinoma.
13.25 Testicles
13.26 Penis- 13.27 Primary site unknown after appropriate search for primary—.
13.28 Malignant neoplastic diseases treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.

14.0 Immune System Disorders

14.02 Systemic lupus erythematosus
14.03 Systemic vasculitis
14.04 Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)
14.05 Polymyositis and dermatomyositis.
14.06 Undifferentiated and mixed connective tissue disease.
14.07 Immune deficiency disorders, excluding HIV infection.
14.08 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
14.09 Inflammatory arthritis.
14.10 Sjögren’s syndrome.

An initial denial of application should be expected, as most will be denied. Once denied, the appeals process begins. There are several steps to the appeals process.

Appealing a Denied Claim

The first step in appealing a denied claim is to file a request for reconsideration. This is a request that another official review your application. If the claim is denied again, another appeal can be made before the administrative law judge.

If it is necessary to bring a claim before the judge, then it is highly advised that a disability lawyer be hired to represent the applicant, otherwise the claim is likely to be denied.

Learn More About Filing for Disability Benefits

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