Am I eligible for SSDI?

To get SSDI, you must:

    Have a disability.
    A disability is a severe medical condition that prevents you from being able to work.[1681]
    Once you apply for SSDI, California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will collect medical records to decide if you have a disability.[1682]
    Note: Being unemployed, incarcerated, on parole, or currently addicted to substances do not qualify as disabilities for SSDI.[1683] AND
    Have a recent and long enough work history to meet SSDI requirements.[1684]
    What counts as recent and lengthy enough work history for SSDI depends on the age when you became disabled. Generally, the older you were when you became disabled, the more recent and lengthy your work must be.[1685]
  1. 1681

    The law defines “disability” as the inability to do any “substantial gainful activity” due to a “medically determinable physical or mental impairment” that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted (or can be expected to last) for at least 12 months in a row. 20 C.F.R. § 416.905(a); Your Right to Representation (2011), Prison Law Office http://www.prisonlaw.com/pdfs/BenefitsLetter,Aug2011.pdf ↑

  2. 1682

    Disability Benefits, Soc. Sec. Admin., http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10029.pdf. If you’re blind or have low vision, special rules govern your eligibility and benefits. 20 C.F.R. § 416.905(b); see 20 C.F.R. §§ 416.981-416.985; Disability Planner, Soc. Sec. Admin., http://www.ssa.gov/dibplan/dqualify8.htm; Your Right to Representation (2011), Prison Law Office http://www.prisonlaw.com/pdfs/BenefitsLetter,Aug2011.pdf ↑

  3. 1683

    20 C.F.R. § 416.905(a). What Prisoners Need to Know, Soc. Sec. Admin., http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10133.pdf; Your Right to Representation (2011), Prison Law Office http://www.prisonlaw.com/pdfs/BenefitsLetter,Aug2011.pdf ↑

  4. 1684

    Disability Planner, Soc. Sec. Admin., http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10029.pdf ↑

  5. 1685

    To see detailed work requirements for people who became disabled at different ages, see Disability Planner, Soc. Sec. Admin., http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10029.pdf; ↑