In order to fulfill the demands of our profession, we rely on the abilities of our body and our mind. Suffering an injury or an illness that affects our abilities can have devastating effects on our capacity to earn an income. This is why in the United States there are two types of disability benefits available to those who are unable to continue with work.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is available to disabled workers who have earned 20 or more quarters of coverage (QCs) through their work in the last 10 years. It is common for injured workers to struggle to successfully claim SSDI, but if you are applying when over the age of 50, you may find that it is easier to make a claim.
Why is applying for SSDI easier after the age of 50?
It’s true that disabilities become more common as a person gets older. In addition to this, changing your career becomes harder as you age. Younger people who are prevented from continuing their job due to a disability may be able to retrain fairly effortlessly. However, as you approach retirement age, this may not be easy or even possible for you to do. This is why the Social Security Administration (SSA) tends to accept SSDI applications from those over 50 more easily.
This does not, however, mean you will not encounter problems in the application process. In order to be successful, you must be able to show that you classify as disabled according to the SSA’s definition.
What qualifies as a disability according to the SSA?
The SSA defines a disability as a medical or physical condition with a prognosis of more than one year. Being unable to work your current job because of the condition is not the only prerequisite for being classed as disabled. You must also be unable to perform any other type of job. The severity of the disability and the way that it impacts work performance will be taken into consideration by the SSA when you apply for SSDI.
If you are over 50 and want to apply for SSDI, it is important that you ensure your application is comprehensive and correct.
