No one has plans of losing their capability to work. But when it happens, SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) may help provide you with a financial net if you qualify.
What SSDI Is
It refers to a federal program that aims at providing monthly cash payments to individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 who are disabled permanently and have a qualifying work history.
So, who qualifies for SSDI benefits? This is a vital question to ask yourself, even when you don’t want SSDI benefits now. Learning about its eligibility will help you be prepared for the future if you or your family consider applying for disability in Georgia.
Medical Conditions and SSDI Benefits
There are many disability conditions which can qualify you for SSDI benefits. SSA (Social Security Administration) often uses the Blue Book to determine what qualifies disabling conditions for SSDI benefits.
However, if your medical condition hasn’t been listed in the Bluebook, you can still be eligible as long the condition deters you from achieving SGA (sustainable gainful activity). Some of the medical conditions that can make you eligible for SSDI benefits are:
- Neurological disorders – These may include disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome, neuralgia, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis.
- Heart disease – This is one of the most deadly health conditions in the US, ending the lives of many people every year. There are different kinds of heart disease which qualify for SSDI benefits. These include congestive heart failure or congenital heart defect.
- Blood disorders – These disorders may include hemophilia, bone marrow failure, or sickle cell disease, as well as other types of anemia.
- (AS) Ankylosing spondylitis – This disease affects about 1.5 million people across the US. This debilitating condition is a kind of arthritis disease that results in severe inflammation of a patient’s joints between the spine and pelvis or between spinal bones. Because of its symptoms, it qualifies for SSDI benefits.
- Mood disorders – In order to be eligible for disability benefits, the depression or anxiety disorder must lead to limitations in your ability to apply and understand information. It must also cause limitations to manage yourself, concentrate, and interact with others socially.
- Cancer – Types of cancers that are eligible for SSDI benefits may include breast cancer, mesothelioma, and lung cancer, to name a few. However, most cancers qualify at stage III, but other aggressive types of cancer, including liver cancer, can qualify immediately after diagnosis.
- Diabetes – This medical condition alone isn’t a disabling illness since millions of people manage it. However, it can become a disabling illness when complications start becoming so severe that they start affecting your everyday living. If you are unable to walk because of being obese, you will be eligible for disability benefits. If you also have glaucoma, which makes you go blind, you will qualify for the benefits.
The Takeaway
You need to apply for SSDI benefits once you get a disability. The process of applying may take 90 to 150 days, and that counts as a part of the waiting timeline of five months after getting a disability.