How Do I Know if I am Eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Anyone is eligible to apply for social security disability and, by the same token, anyone is eligible to potentially receive such benefits, assuming they have worked long enough to be considered fully insured for ssd.

However, being eligible to file a disability application is only somewhat related to the eligibility determination process used by SSA. That process is handled not by the social security office but, rather, by an agency known as disability determination services.

How does DDS decide if someone is eligible to receive social security disability benefits?

This type of determination is made after an individual's records have been requested and received by a DDS examiner. In all cases, an examiner will read a claimant's records, draw a conclusion regarding the claimant's residual functional capacities (mental, physical, or both), and then, in consultation with a DDS consultant (either an M.D. or a Ph.D. psychologist), decide whether or not a claimant is disabled and eligible to receive benefits.

Naturally, of course, the only way a claimant can learn if they are eligible for social security disability is to file an application for benefits. And, naturally as well, a claimant who gets denied should consider filing an appeal and finding an experienced advocate to assist them with their case.

Learn more about eligibility for social security disability.