Signs That You Will Be Approved For Disability

It’s perfectly understandable that you may be wondering whether the application that you submitted for disability benefits will be approved. The fact that more than two-thirds of disability claims submitted each year to the Social Security Administration are denied after initial review is a good reason to be concerned about your chance of success.

Working with a disability lawyer and the disability advocates at London Disability whose knowledge and experience with the disability process and regulations improves the chance of achieving a successful outcome. We’ve put together a few of the signs to look for that may indicate that you may be approved for disability benefits through the Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance programs.

You meet the non-medical requirements of each program

If you don’t meet the non-medical requirements for a disability program, you cannot qualify for benefits regardless of your medical condition. SSI and SSDI each have their own non-medical requirements that you must meet to qualify for disability benefits.

In order to qualify for disability benefits through the SSI program, you must meet the following non-medical requirements:

• Have limited financial resources
• Have limited earned and unearned income
• Be a United States citizen or national.

An important thing to keep in mind about income and resources is that not all income or resources count. For example, resources for an individual cannot exceed $2,000 or $3000 for couples. However, the value of a home that you own and occupy as a principal residence does not count toward the resource limits.

When it comes to the income limitations, there are two types of income: Earned and unearned. Social Security does not count all types of income, so your disability lawyer will review your sources of income with you to verify that you do not exceed the income limits.

There are different non-medical requirements for SSDI eligibility. You must have enough work credits earned by paying Social Security taxes while working at jobs or through self-employment. The general rule is that the older you are when you become disability, the more work credits you need to qualify for the program.

Severity of your medical condition must be proven by medical evidence

A medically determinable physical or mental impairment must be severe enough to meet the definition used by Social Security for disability. The impairment or impairments must make you unable to engage in substantial gainful activity and be expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death.

The medical evidence supporting your claim must include the following:

• Clinical examination findings
• X-ray, MRI and other diagnostic test results
• Laboratory testing results
• Diagnosis and treatment plan

Your disability lawyer reviews the claim to ensure that medical records are current and specifically relate to the impairments claimed to cause the disability. If your medical records prove that you have a disability that prevents you from working, then it is a good sign that you may be approved for SSI or SSDI benefits.

You have monthly earnings below the substantial gainful activity standard

According to the definition of disability used by Social Security, you must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity, which includes standing, sitting, lifting, climbing stairs and other work-related activities. The way that Social Security measures your ability to do substantial gainful activity is through your monthly earnings from work.

If you earn in excess of $1,350 a month in 2022, then you are capable of engaging in substantial gainful activity, and you are not disabled. The monthly income amount is $2,260 in 2022 for a person applying for disability benefits because of blindness.

Your medical condition meets the Listing of Impairments criteria

Social Security maintains a listing of medical conditions that are severe enough to satisfy the disability definition it uses to determine if you are eligible for SSI or SSDI. If your medical condition matches one of the listings, it is a good sign that you may be approved for disability benefits.

Keep in mind that not meeting the listing criteria does not mean that your claim for benefits will be denied. A physical or mental impairment that is severe enough to cause you to be unable to work because of a disability may qualify for benefits even though it is not a listed impairment.

You cannot do past work or other types of work because a disability

If your medical condition does not match a listing impairment, part of the disability determination process includes looking at your ability to do work that you’ve done in the past or to transition into a different type of work. It is a good sign that you may be approved for benefits if your medical condition prevents you from returning to a type of work that your employment history shows that you did in the past. If it does, then Social Security looks to see if it prevents you from doing another type of work available in the national economy based on your education, age, experience and other factors.

Contact London Disability

Your best source for information about the likelihood of being approved for disability benefits is a disability lawyer at London Disability. Contact us today for a free consultation and claim review.