To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you need to demonstrate to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you have a disability and that it keeps you from working. As a general rule, this disability also needs to last for a minimum of 12 months. For many people, it will last for the rest of their lives.
It is easy to imagine how you can prove that something like a spinal cord injury is a lifelong disability. If you physically cannot walk and are unable to work, you can qualify for benefits. However, this does not mean that you must have a physical disability to qualify for SSDI benefits. There are many mental or cognitive disabilities that can also apply.
The 11 categories
The SSA has put these disabilities into 11 different categories, which are as follows:
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
- Depressive, bipolar, and related disorders
- Intellectual disorder
- Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Somatic symptom and related disorders
- Personality and impulse-control disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Eating disorders
- Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
It is worth noting that some of these disabilities can be more difficult to prove than physical disabilities. It is important to work with your medical team and get an accurate diagnosis. Medical records or statements from medical professionals can help demonstrate how the condition affects your life, why it prevents you from working, how long it is expected to last, and whether you are ever expected to make a full recovery or if you will need benefits for life.
Because this is a complicated process and your qualification for benefits may hang in the balance, it is crucial that you understand all of the legal options you have. It can help to work with an experienced law firm at this time.