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Social Security Disability Case Study

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The federal government pays qualified workers who are or become disabled and their families’ monetary benefits known as social security disability (SSD). The Social Security Administration defines a disability as the inability to do any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. To meet this definition, you must have a severe impairment(s) that makes you unable to do your past relevant work or any other substantial gainful work that exists in the national economy. So long as a social security claimant has a work history and is deemed disabled by the …show more content…

You can make your claim over the phone or by visiting the nearest SSA office. Once your claim is filed, the SSA will refer your case to the appropriate state agency known as a disability determination service (DDS). This is where your case will be evaluated and an initial determination will be made. A claims evaluator at the DDS will decide your eligibility for benefits based on a five step evaluation process: 1. Substantial Gainful Activity The first thing a claims evaluator will look at is whether you are currently working or worked since you applied for benefits. If you are or had been working and making money for your work, then you have engaged in substantial gainful activity (SGA). If you make $1,090 per month or more working, then you have surpassed the SGA limit and will not be entitled to benefits. This is true whether or not you are disabled or severely …show more content…

This process is called equaling a listing. The claims evaluator will determine, based on the medical severity of your impairment(s), whether your condition should be considered severe enough to constitute a disability under SSA standards. If the evaluator determines that it does, you will be entitled to benefits. If you do not qualify for disability compensation because your condition does not meet or equal one or a combination of the disabilities on the List of Impairments, your case will proceed to step four. 4. Can You Perform Your Prior Job Next, your evaluator will look into whether, despite the fact that your condition does not qualify as a disability under SSA criteria, your impairments are severe enough to prevent you from engaging in the type of work you did previously. Obviously, if your case evaluator determines that you can perform the same work you were doing before, your disability claim will be denied. However, if it is decided that you can no longer perform your prior job, your claim will proceed to the final step. 5. Can You Do Any Other

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