SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY

Permanent link to this article: http://www.bassettsslaw.com/social-security-disability/

DEFINITION  of  DISABILITY

  • Social Security pays benefits only for total disability; it does not pay benefits for partial disability or for a short-term disability.  To be eligible for benefits a person must:
  1. be insured for benefits,
  2. be younger than full retirement age and
  3. have a Social Security–defined disability.

A person must have worked long enough—and recently enough—under Social Security to be eligible for cash benefits. The number of work credits (quarters of coverage) a person needs to qualify for benefits depends on the individual’s age when he or she becomes disabled.