When you apply for SSDI benefits, you need to prove both your job history and medical condition to the Social Security Administration (SSA). This process involves more than showing you have worked, but also that you have done so legally and paid taxes. Even more, you must demonstrate that your medical condition keeps you from being able to complete your job or another.
Since funds for individual SSDI checks are created from a portion of your income taxes, you have to meet specific work requirements to qualify. While proving your job history to the SSA might seem a bit intimidating, the process can be handled efficiently with the correct documentation.
The team at The House of Justice will assist you in determining whether you are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. Contact us today at 1-800-840-8080 to get started!
How Does Your Job History Impact Benefits?
People mistakenly believe SSDI is a free program that is available for all disabled people. However, since SSDI funds are generated by your income taxes, you must meet specific work criteria to be eligible.
The SSA developed a point system known as “Social Security Credits” to assess peoples’ work histories. Social Security Credits turn important metrics such as age, years worked, and total income into plain numbers that gauge SSDI eligibility. To qualify for SSDI, you need to acquire a certain amount of points based on your age.
The SSA breaks down the point requirements for different age groups this way:
- Younger than age 24: 6 credits gained during the 3-year period prior to your disability.
- Age 24-31: must have worked ½ of the “time between age 21” and when your disability started. Total point requirements vary.
- Age 31 or older: 20 credits earned over 10 years prior to your disability.
Please note, while you must meet minimum work history requirements to qualify for SSDI, you don’t need to know every single detail to apply. In fact, you are better off having a skilled attorney deal with complex things like Social Security Credits.
What Work Requirements Must I Prove for SSDI?
You can also look at other more basic criteria in understanding how your job history applies to SSDI.
Social security work requirements include:
- You can legally work in the U.S.
- You worked and paid taxes for 5 of the past 10 years
- You are either a full-time, part-time, or seasonal employee
- You are no longer working when you file for SSDI
How Many Years of Job History Does the SSA Look At?
With your initial SSDI application, the SSA generally does not look further than 10 years back. However, if the SSA requires additional documentation for your application, they might want to look at 15 years of your work background.
Important Work-Related Documentation for the SSA
There are some key work-related elements that you must keep in mind when you fill out your SSDI application.
Recent Work Test
Recent work tests weigh the number of social security credits you’ve earned during a specific time frame prior to becoming disabled. For example, if you are age 31 or older, you must have worked 5 of the past 10 years prior to your disability to pass the Recent Work Test.
Duration Work Test
Duration work tests assess your total social security credits earned outside of a certain time frame. For example, if you are age 31 or older, you must have earned 20 credits in the 10 years prior to your disability to pass the Duration Work Test.
Adult Disability Report
The Adult Disability Report (SSA-3368) covers your last five jobs and how they relate to your disability. In essence, this report shows how your specific workplace skills are no longer usable due to your impairment.
What is a Social Security Work History Report?
If the SSA cannot get a feel for your job background with your initial application, they may request an additional Work History Report (SSA-3369). Generally speaking, the reports are used to supplement the info provided on your initial Adult Disability Report.
Since Work History Reports are new documents filed after your initial application, the SSA applies new standards for this added step. For example, while Adult Disability Reports only look at 10 years of your job background, Work History Reports look at 15 years into the past.
Key Information in an SSA Work History Report
In the event the SSA requests a Work History Report in addition to your normal application, you should plan on including the following info with the document:
Job Summary
A social security Work History Report requires 15 years of your work background. As such, “you will need to list all of the jobs that you have had in those 15 years … [and] provide a detailed summary of the work that you did, any special equipment or machinery that you operated, and what training you received to do that job.”
Physical Activity
Since a social security Work History Report is trying to uncover exactly how your disability affects your job performance, you also need to include a summary of the physical activities engaged in each of your positions. Examples of physical activities in your Job Summary include standing, lifting, walking, writing, and typing.
Employer Information
As part of your Job Summary, you should include important information about your past employers, including your supervisor’s name and relevant contact info. When the SSA is ready to reach out, they have all the information they need.
Residual Functional Capacity Assessment
Occasionally, the SSA will also request a Residual Functional Capacity Assessment to supplement your social security work history report. These reports are made by your doctor and specifically describe what types of jobs you can still do with your disability.
Contact the House of Justice Today!
Even if you have previously been denied SSDI, the attorneys at the House of Justice may be able to help you qualify. Our Spanish-speaking lawyers know exactly what documentation is required to prove your work requirements.
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