The medical disorders that allow you to receive Social Security Disability benefits include any conditions that render you unable to work and are expected to last one year or more, or diseases that are expected to result in your death. The strict definition of the term disability is required by Federal law. There are programs that give money to former workers who have a short-term disability or a partial disability, but this is not the case with Social Security. Some disabled workers' family members may also be eligible to receive Social Security Disability funds.
To meet the requirements for Social Security disability benefits, you will generally need to meet two tests of earnings. The first is a “recent work” test, which is based on the age at which you became disabled. The second is a “duration of work” test which examines documents that prove you have worked long enough while paying Social Security. Workers who are blind only need to meet the duration of work requirements.
The rules for how much work you need to have completed for the “recent work” test for Social Security Disability benefits are based upon the quarter when you turned (or will turn) a certain age.
The rules for the “recent work” test include the quarters of January 1 – March 31, April 1 – June 30, July 1 – September 30 and October 1 – December 31.
If you became disabled in or prior to the Social Security Disability quarter when you turned a certain age, then you must have worked for one and a half years of work in the three year period that ended with the quarter when your disability began.
There are Social Security Disability tables online for the “recent work” tests and the “duration of work” test as well. The latter will assist you in determining the work needed to meet that test if you became disabled at various ages. When using the “duration of work” test, the work need not fall in a certain time frame.
