• Practice Areas
• Social Security Disability Law
• Social Security Disability Eligibility
• FICA Withholding
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Filing For Social Security Disability Benefits
• FAQS: Social Security Disability
• Disabling Diseases
• Social Security Disability Glossary of Terms

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

In the U. S., Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), also referred to as DIB, (Disability Insurance Benefits) is a federal insurance program funded through payroll taxes, which employees, their employers and those who are self-employed pay.

When a family’s primary wage earner becomes disabled or dies, SSDI is designed to provide a variety of benefits for family members. SSDI benefits are payable to disabled workers, widows, widowers, and children or adults disabled since childhood who are otherwise eligible.

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), you qualify for SSDI if you:

• Have a physical or mental impairment that prevents you form engaging in any substantial gainful work, and
• The condition is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death, and
• You are under 65 years of age, and
• You have worked for five of the last ten years.

In addition, your doctor must provide medical proof to show that you are unable to work, and your condition must meet strict SSA medical listing criteria. If the disease from which you are suffering or your condition does not meet the SSA medical listing requirements, your residual functional capacity is considered along with age, past relevant work and education, in determining your ability to perform either your past work or other work generally available in the national economy.