Requirements for Government Disability

Having a disability and being unable to work to provide for yourself or your family creates financial hardship for many people.  Government programs provide disability assistance to qualifying individuals who are disabled, but there are requirements that must be met before being eligible to receive government disability.

Work Credit Requirements

To be eligible for Social Security disability income, you must have been employed for a certain length of time, accumulating Social Security work credits.  Social Security work credits are accumulated based on your total yearly earnings. For example, one Social Security work credit is earned for every $1,120 of wages earned, but the wage amount for each work credit varies each year.  A certain amount of Social Security work credits are needed to be eligible, but the specific amount is based on the age in which you became disabled.  The older you are the more work credits are needed, and the younger you are the less amount of work credits are needed for SSI eligibility.  For the actual amount of work credits needed, you should contact your local Social Security office.

Disability Requirements

To be eligible for SSI, you must be totally, not partially, disabled. The government considers being disabled as the inability to work.  If you cannot perform your basic job functions that you were previously able to perform, if you cannot adapt to other work functions because of a medical condition, and if you have been disabled for at least one year or your disability is expected to last for at least one year or will result in death, then you are considered disabled.