Social Security Disability

Definition of Social Security Disability for disabled workers and disabled adult children and disabled widows

For Social Security Disability benefits, the law defines disability as the inability to do any kind of substantial gainful activity for a continuous period of at least one year or to result in death.

The cause of disability can be mental or physical but the disability must be medically determined. Statutory blindness is considered a disability, for example. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will consider your age, education, and work experience with your medical condition to determine if your medical condition prevents you from doing any substantial gainful activity. This means you may qualify for Social Security Disability even if you can perform some functions that are not within your regular jobs. 

Definition of Social Security Disability is Complex

Whether you qualify under Social Security Disability for benefits is complicated. If you think you are disabled or unable to do your regular work, it is best that you file an application for Social Security Disability benefits. If you are denied after your first application, you should consult an attorney. Many cases that were denied initially were awarded Social Security Disability benefits after appeals. The rules for Social Security Disability requirements are complex. 

Three kinds of Social Security Disability benefits

The 1st Social Security Disability Benefit Type: Disability Insurance Benefit (DIB)

Who it pays: This Social Security Disability benefit is paid to disabled workers.

Amount of benefit: The amount is the same as if you were 65 years old.

Social Security benefit eligibility: You must be fully insured. To be fully  insured, you must have worked long enough under Social Security and have worked in the recent past.

The 2nd Social Security Disability benefit Type: Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits

Who it pays: The Social Security Disability benefit for Disabled Adult Child is paid to:

• Children of retired, disabled or deceased workers, and
• Widows age 50 - 59.

 Social Security benefit eligibility: The children must become disabled before age 22.

 

The 3rd Social Security Disability Benefit Type: Disabled Widow Benefits (DWB)

Social Security benefit eligibility: This Social Security Disability Benefit is for widows between ages 50 - 59 who are disabled.