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The Social Security Administration (SSA) awards social security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits to claimants who meet three basic criteria: 1. A diagnosis (and solid medical evidence to back up this diagnosis), that you suffer from a severely disabling medical condition, be it physical or mental. However, the severity of the impairment is judged, not by the treating physician, but by a disability examiner that works for the state Disability Determination Services (DDS) agency (or a federal disability judge if you have had to appeal because DDS denied your application). 2. The impairment with which you have been diagnosed must prevent you from working in any job that you are qualified to perform based on past work history, age, education, and experience (they can’t ask a truck driver to work as a lab technician), that would allow you to earn at least the current SGA (substantial gainful activity) amount. The SSA determines this amount annually, adjusting it as needed for cost of living increase, inflation, etc. 3. If your medical condition is determined to be severe, and if your medical evidence supports the fact that you cannot earn a living wage (the current SGA), then you must also provide evidence that your condition is ongoing, and will not significantly improve with any pharmaceutical or physical therapy, over the next twelve months. Social Security Disability Insurance is in no way tied to any other form of insurance, and therefore any decision regarding the nature of your disability made by other private insurance companies regarding short- or long-term disability insurance benefits (DIB) has no bearing on the decision of the state disability examiner regarding your SSDI application. The fact that you may have been approved by other agencies to collect disability, including veterans’ disability, and workers’ compensation claims, etc., does not necessarily make you a shoe-in for SSA approval. When applying for SSD benefits, those collecting other forms of disability must be just as careful to provide a detailed, accurate medical and work history as those who have no prior approval from any other agency, as determinations made by other agencies will have no influence on the state disability examiner or federal social security judge who will decide your case. 
Social Security Disability and SSI Disability Information
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