You may have heard how difficult it is to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration annually denies benefits to more than two-thirds of the people who apply, but that does not mean you should not apply for disability benefits or give up if your claim is denied.
The team of disability lawyers at National Disability Experts wants you to get the disability benefits you need and deserve. This guide helps you to improve the chances of your Illinois disability claim being approved by explaining the Social Security Disability criteria to qualify for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance.
Learn what it takes to improve the chances of your Social Security disability application being approved. You’ll also learn how a disability lawyer from National Disability Experts can challenge a denial of benefits and win approval through the appeal process.
Disability Benefits Through The Social Security Administration
Illinois disability benefits are available through two programs managed by the Social Security Administration. The Social Security Disability Insurance program is for workers who become disabled before they reach retirement age to qualify for retirement benefits.
The Supplemental Security Income program is for adults and children who are blind or disabled. Adults who are 65 or older may qualify for SSI benefits without being blind or disabled.
The two programs, SSDI and SSI, use the same definition to determine whether adults are disabled and eligible for benefits. However, they have different non-medical criteria to determine whether an applicant qualifies for benefits. Here is a look at the eligibility requirements for SSDI and SSI to better understand what’s needed to qualify for disability benefits.
Illinois SSDI eligibility
SSDI is an entitlement program in that you must be insured by paying into the Social Security retirement and disability system through payroll taxes on the money earned while working. You may have noticed a deduction on your paystubs for Federal Insurance Contributions Act or FICA, which are the Social Security taxes you and your employer paid on the money you made while working.
You become insured under the SSDI program based on work credits. A worker may earn up to four work credits per year. You acquire a credit when you earn $1,730 in 2024 at jobs where wages are subject to payment of Social Security taxes.
To qualify for SSDI, you must have worked long enough and recently enough before the onset of a disability. The number of credits needed depends on your age when the disability began. For example, a person at age 27 needs 12 credits earned within six years of the onset of the disability.
Meeting the non-medical SSDI requirements is only the first step when applying for SSDI in Illinois. You also must have a disability meeting the definition used by Social Security. The SSDI approval process requires medical documentation proving that you meet each of the following criteria:
- You have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment.
- The impairment or impairments must last for at least one year or result in death.
- You cannot do substantial gainful activity, which means you cannot do activities required to do work you’ve previously done or adjust to other types of work.
Social Security uses your earnings average to determine if you can do substantial gainful activity. If you are working and have an earnings average of more than $1,550 a month in 2024, you are not disabled.
Qualifying for SSI benefits in Illinois
Before your application for SSI is reviewed to determine if you are disabled according to the same definition used to qualify for Social Security disability benefits through SSDI, you must meet non-medical requirements. You must have little or no income, and resources or assets cannot exceed $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for eligible couples.
If you do not exceed the income and resource limits to qualify for SSI, your application is sent to the Disability Determination Services of the Illinois Department of Human Services. The DDS reviews the medical documentation and decides whether you are disability according to the definition used by Social Security.
Appeal process
You have the right to appeal a denial of SSDI and SSI benefits. The steps in the appeal process include the following:
- Reconsideration: Examiners not involved in the original decision review your claim.
- Hearing: A hearing before an administrative law judge where your disability lawyer presents evidence, including witness testimony, to support the claim.
- Appeals Council review: An adverse administrative law judge decision may reviewed by an Appeals Council.
- Federal district court action: A court action asks a U.S. District Court judge to overturn the denial of benefits.
Many people whose claims for benefits are denied win approvals through appeals.
Contact A Disability Lawyer
National Disability Experts help people in Illinois and throughout the U.S. through the SSI and SSDI approval process. Learn how they can help you qualify for disability benefits during a free consultation by contacting National Disability Experts today.