When deciding whether to accept a Social Security Disability claim, several factors are considered by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). Many of these are medical requirements, which are provided by your doctor, or by a health care professional appointed by the SSA (or both).
Non-medical means any requirements (a.k.a., criteria) that are not related to the medical portion of your application. You will need to meet the non-medical requirements, showing you are eligible for disability benefits due to your disabling condition.
There are several non-medical disability requirements as well, which are generally provided by you and your employers, and are verified by the Social Security Disability field office.
Further Reading: What Conditions Qualify For Disability?
What Is Non-Medical Disability Criteria?
Non-medical disability criteria are any requirements that are not tied to your medical or mental health conditions and the relevant reports. These include proof of age, Social Security Disability Insurance coverage information, employment records, and marital status.
Your proof of age is important when determining Social Security Disability benefits because your age determines how long you needed to spend working before you were disabled in order to be covered by Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Generally, a copy of your birth certificate can be used as proof of age. The SSA personnel can also obtain this information from your Numident file (the SSA’s computer database of all Social Security cardholders).
Social Security Disability Insurance coverage information
The Social Security Disability Insurance coverage information is the most important non-medical disability criteria for most Social Security Disability claimants. This includes information regarding where you have been employed, for how long, and how much you have paid in FICA premiums. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) eligibility and the amount of benefits payable are based on how much you have worked the ten years prior to your Social Security Disability claim.
Other Non-Medical Disability Criteria The The SSA Needs
The SSA will also verify your employment information, including employment history, earnings, and other non-medical disability requirements. One of the things they will look at is what kinds of work you have performed in the past. This helps them determine whether you are capable of engaging in any kind of work which you have done before; a primary qualification for Social Security Disability.
The other non-medical disability requirements that the SSA will want to verify is your marital status. While marital status alone will have no effect on whether or not you are deemed disabled, your spouse’s income is an important non-medical disability factor that plays a role in determining what kinds of Social Security Disability benefits you are entitled to.
Talk to a Social Security Attorney
It can be a long and sometimes confusing process to apply for SSDI or SSI. For that reason, it is recommended to consider seeking the counsel of a Social Security attorney.
