We’ve established that whether you are pursuing Social Security disability, Supplemental Security Income, or both, you must meet certain medical criteria to be considered disabled by the Social Security Administration.  In addition to proving that you are disabled, other factors are considered for each program.  Let’s dig a little deeper into some of the specifics about Social Security disability (also known as SSD, SSDI and DIB).  When stating the fundamentals of each disability program in our last post, we mentioned the terms “Credits” and “Insured.”  The definitions of these terms, as they apply to Social Security disability, are as follows:

Credits

Credits are also known as Quarter of coverage (QC or Social Security credit).  Credits are based on income.  The maximum number of credits you can earn annually, regardless of how high your income may be, is 4.  The minimum amount of earnings required may change year to year, and has been set at $1,130 for 2012.  Uncertain if all of your hard work has earned you enough credits?  Call us to discuss.  The standard number of required credits is 40, but you may qualify with less than 40 credits, depending upon your age.

Insured

There are several Insured status classifications.  The classification that relates to this discussion is known as “Disability Insured.”  You are considered to be insured for Disability Insurance Benefits (Disability Insured) if you’ve earned enough credits, and if at least 20 of your credits were earned within the 10 years immediately prior to your disability onset.

Hopefully this has cleared things up a bit.  In upcoming posts we will continue to explain these programs and define some of the terms associated with them.

These are some basic guidelines, every person and every situation is unique.  Contact J. W. Chalkley, III, P.A. today to discuss your unique situation and schedule your FREE Consultation.  We look forward to hearing from you.

(source: Social Security Administration)