To be considered for disability payments from the U.S. government, you must first meet some fairly stringent guidelines:
Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions?
For each of the major body systems, the Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a list of medical conditions that they consider so severe that it prevents a person from completing substantial gainful activity.
If your condition is not on the list, THEY have to decide if it is as severe as a medical condition that is on the list. If it is, theybwill find that you are disabled. If it is not, we then go to Step 4.
“We have two initiatives designed to expedite our processing of new disability claims:
- Compassionate Allowances: Certain cases that usually qualify for disability can be allowed as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed. Examples include acute leukemia, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), and pancreatic cancer.
- Quick Disability Determinations: We use sophisticated computer screening to identify cases with a high probability of allowance.
“For more information about our disability claims process, visit our Benefits For People With Disabilities website.
4. Can you do the work you did previously?
“At this step, we decide if your medical impairment(s) prevents you from performing any of your past work. It is doesn’t, we’ll decide you don’t have a qualifying disability. If it does, we proceed to Step 5.
5. Can you do any other type of work?
“If you can’t do the work you did in the past, we look to see if there is other work you could do despite your impairment(s).
“We consider your medical conditions and your age, education, past work experience, and any transferable skills you may have. If you can’t do other work, we’ll decide you are disabled. If you can do other work, we’ll decide that you don’t have a qualifying disability and your claim will be denied.
Visit this SSA web page to find out still more.