When you have a medical condition that makes it unable for you to work in Georgia, you may be able to collect Social Security disability benefits. As you may have heard, getting SSDI payments is not an easy process. The Social Security Administration has very strict rules about who can qualify for these benefits.
The main rule, according to the SSA, is that you must not be able to work for at least one year due to a qualifying disability. The SSA has guidelines for what conditions qualify as a disability. The condition needs to be long-term and make you unable to do any type of work, even with modifications. There are some conditions that offer fairly easy approval, such as certain types of cancer or ALS. Other conditions may require more thorough consideration.
You also need have worked enough to qualify for benefits. SSDI is awarded based on your work credits. These are earned based on how much money you have made each year. You can earn up to four credits per year. You have to have a total of 40 credits to qualify. You also need to have earned at least 20 of these within the past 10 years. If you are younger, there are exceptions to this rule.
If you are retirement age, you will not get disability payments. Instead, you get your entitled retirement benefits. There are also exceptions or different options for certain groups of people, such as veterans, children and spouses of workers, to these basic rules. This information is for education and is not legal advice.
