Disability is something that anyone can face, with or without warning. In the event that this occurs, there are disability benefits that you may be entitled to receive. These benefits will be rewarded according to your work history. There are many specifications in place that will be used to determine whether a person is considered disabled, whether the person meets the earning requirements, and who is eligible to receive benefits.
Basically, there are two qualifying criteria in determining an individual’s disability status as it pertains to the receipt of benefits. A person must be unable to work due to one of these situations in order to be eligible to receive disability benefits. The first condition is that there has been a diagnosis of a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year. This could be an acute condition, such as a trauma. It could also stem from a condition that has worsened over a period of time, such as an illness, and is now advanced to a level that impedes the individual from working. The condition must be at a level of severity that will require the disabled person to refrain from working for at least one year. The other qualifying criterion is that there has been a diagnosis of a medical condition that is considered terminal. An individual must meet only one of these criteria to satisfy eligibility requirements for disability benefits.
Once a person has been identified as disabled, there are earning requirements that must be met. This will be based on two different types of tests. The tests are referred to as the “recent work” test and the “duration of work” test. The “recent work” test is based on the applicant’s age at the time of disability. In order to receive benefits, a person who is recognized as disabled at 24 years of age or younger will need to prove 1.5 years of work during the three-year period prior to the 24th birthday. Individuals older than 24 years of age but younger than 31 years old must demonstrate that there was a work history at least half the time between the 21st birthday and the occurrence of the disability. A person who is over 31 years old must demonstrate five years of employment during the ten years that immediately preceded the disabling condition. Note that the date of the disabling condition will be considered the date that the disability was identified to satisfy the qualifying criteria described previously.
The second test is the “duration of work” test. In this test the disabled person’s age is aligned to a set number of years that must have been worked. This test does not require that the work took place within a certain time frame preceding the disability.
A disabled person who meets the earning requirements to receive disability benefits may also be eligible to receive benefits for dependents. If married, the person’s spouse will be eligible for benefits if aged 62 or older. Additionally, a spouse of any age may be eligible if caring for the disabled person’s child under the age of 16 or a disabled child of any age. The disabled person’s unmarried children are also eligible for disability benefits if under the age of 18, or under the age of 19 and enrolled full time in an elementary or secondary school. Disabled children who are unmarried may be eligible at any age if the child’s disability started before the child turned 22 years old.
If a person is eligible for disability benefits, the application process should be started right away. The process can be quite lengthy, often taking several months to complete.