Social Security disability insurance provides benefits to people whose disability prevents them from working for a year or more. Generally, you must have worked and paid Social Security disability taxes five out of the 10 years before becoming disabled. If you are age 31 or less, fewer years of employment are required. Individuals who don’t meet these requirements may be covered under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which provides coverage for disabled people with little or no income or resources.
To determine eligibility for disability benefits, Social Security will consider your age, education, work experience, and your physical and mental impairments to see whether you can perform your past work or any other job. Whether disability benefits will be granted will depend on the severity of your impairment. There are, for example, cancer patients who can continue to work, while a severe case of arthritis may render an employee unable to work for years. If you believe a disability will keep you from working for at least a year, apply for Social Security disability benefits immediately. Processing a claim can take several months. If your initial claim is denied, and most are, an appeal can take over a year. By filing quickly, you may be able to begin receiving benefits as soon as other benefits run out.
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