Breaking Down the Disability Definition of the Social Security Administration

The purpose of filing for Social Security Disability program is to receive benefits based on your disability that prevents you to do your work. As a strong fact, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has its own definition of disability. If you want to avail of the benefits under the Social Security Disability program, you must:

·         Have a physical or mental impairment that;

·         Prevents you from doing any substantial gainful work; and your disability

·         Is expected to last, or has already lasted for at least a year, or is expected to result in death.

Before you plan to submit your disability claim, you must know every bit of detail regarding the SSA’s disability definition. It may help if you constantly have contact with your treating physician and with your lawyer knowledgeable with Social Security laws in case you have inquiries.

·         Your impairment/s should be medically described by your treating physician or doctor and should be either physical or mental. In proving so, you must provide medical information, such as medical documents and your doctor’s opinion regarding your disability. You should not also forget the names and contact details of the doctors and the hospital where you received treatment when you file your disability claim.

·         If you cannot do your current job because of a disability or your last job before you were deemed disabled, the SSA will then look at the possibility of you doing other kinds of substantial gainful work. This refers to any job that has a minimum salary of $1,000 per month. When you submit your claim, you must prove that you cannot do any work; not even substantial gainful work, for you to qualify to receive benefits.

·         The doctors’ correspondence to the SSA’s need for proof of disability must state that your disability is expected or has already lasted for at least a year. But then, you must file your disability claim right away. You don’t want to wait for 12 months before you file a claim; it is likely that you may recover from your disability than expected.