Ohio residents who are severely injured and expect to be out of work for at least a year, or to die as a result of the medical condition may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. SSDI benefits can help you stay financially solvent until you can return to work, if possible.
Qualification basics
The first requirement is that you must have worked the required amount of time for a job that paid into Social Security. Next, your medical condition must not be short-term. It must have lasted or be expected to last for a year, or it must be expected to result in your death. If it approves your application, the Social Security Administration may pay SSDI benefits monthly for the duration of your condition.
What is the work requirement?
As noted above, you are only eligible for SSDI benefits if you have worked at a job that pays into Social Security for the required amount of time. Social Security keeps track of this time through work credits.
For example, in 2022, workers earned one credit for each $1,510 earned until the worker reached four credits at $6,040. The number of work credits that you need depends on when you apply for benefits and your age. This, generally, equates to 40 total credits. Twenty of those credits must be earned within the 10 years prior to filing for SSDI benefits.
Total disabilities only
SSDI benefits are only available for those who have total disability, not short-term or partial disabilities. Total disability means that, because of your medical issue, you are unable to work.
Expedited allowances
Under the SSA’s Compassionate Allowance, some diseases automatically qualify for SSDI benefits once you have a confirmed diagnosis. These include Lou Gehrig’s disease, pancreatic cancer and acute leukemia. Of course, this list is not exhaustive. There are other diseases and conditions that qualify.
The other expedited process is known as the Quick Disability Determinations. For this process, a SSA computer algorithm identifies those cases that are highly likely to qualify. If the computer makes such a determination in your case, then you would qualify for SSDI benefits.
This process is seldom so straight forward, and denials are common. This is why many choose to hire an attorney to help with the process upfront or after a denial.