What Are the Eligibility Requirements for SSD in Iowa?

Our SSD Lawyers Help People Determine a Course of Action

If you or your family member is suffering from a disability and are not sure if you are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits we could help you, Hugh Field at Beecher, Field, Walker, Morris, Hoffman & Johnson, PC can help you understand the Social Security Administration’s process for determining disability. As an experienced social security disability lawyer in Iowa, Hugh Field can evaluate your claim and provide you with an explanation of what you could expect.

The Social Security Disability Decision Process

The Social Security Administration follows a strict process where each step must be met for consideration:

• If you have been out of work for 12 months
• If you have a severe medical impairment that is preventing you from working
• The medical impairment is compared to a list of medical conditions that are determined to be impairments for disability
• The Social Security Administration will decide if you are able to perform your job as you have for the past 15 years.
• If you are unable to work in any job you have held for the previous 15 years, they will see if there are other jobs you could perform considering your medical condition.

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• About Working While Receiving Benefits

What Conditions Automatically Qualify You for Disability?

To qualify for social security disability, you must 2 things. You must:

• Have recently worked a job that was covered by Social Security for a certain period of time
• Have a medical condition that meets the definition of “disability” according to Social Security

Unfortunately, qualifying for SSD is not very automatic.

How Much Work Do You Need to Qualify?

The amount of work needed to qualify for social security disability is based on credits you earn based on your total yearly wages or income from self-employment. An individual may earn up to 4 credits per year. The amount for work credits changes from year to year -- as of 2023, employees earn 1 credit for each $1,640 earned in wages or income from self-employment. So, when an individual has earned $6,650 in income, then they have earned 4 credits needed for SSD.

The credits you need to qualify for social security disability benefits are based on your age when your disability begins. Typically, 40 credits are needed to qualify, with 20 of them being earned within the last 10 years, and ending during the year the disability began. If you are a younger worker, it is possible to qualify with fewer credits.

Have questions? Reach out to our Iowa social security disability eligibility attorney at Beecher, Field, Walker, Morris, Hoffman & Johnson, PC.  We have decades of experience and are ready to help you navigate the application process. Contact us online or dial (855) 801-1633.

What Are the Disability Duration Requirements?

Eligibility for Social Security disability requires that the claimant meets a number of stipulations, including a duration requirement. Apart from an impairment that will likely end with death, in order to receive Social Security disability benefits, the problem must persist for at least twelve straight months.

If the disability comes and goes, it is not considered a hindrance in to garnering benefits. If the issues surrounding the disability are not connected, it can harm the case.

When beginning your case, the duration requirement might lead to a denial of benefits if it has yet to be met and the impairment is judged to be one that will show improvement within the 12 month timeframe.

If the duration requirement has been reached, Hugh Field can ask for a closed period of disability. This is relevant if the problems that resulted in you being disabled improve to the point where you can work after 12 months have passed.

What Is the Connection Between Age and Benefits?

Receiving a finding of disability becomes easier the older you are. From age 50 to 66, the likelihood of receiving benefits increases. A person above age 50 suffering from significant impairment and unable to do all but the simplest forms of employment should also apply for benefits.

It is possible to assist a younger client in receiving benefits. The person doesn’t have to be wheelchair bound or confined to bed to receive a disability finding. Not being able to work at past jobs or work at a full time job can be sufficient.

If you are unable to work, it is worth it to apply for Social Security disability benefits. Even if you are denied, there is the option of appealing the decision until it is heard by an Administrative Law Judge. There is also the choice to appeal if the ALJ denies the claim.