What Happens If You Are Unable to Work for Medical Reasons?

Many common medical conditions, physical and mental, affect your ability to work. Some of these conditions are temporary in nature, while others are longer-lasting or even permanently limiting. If you can’t perform the physical demands of a full-time desk job, for example, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits provided your condition lasts for at least one year. People who are covered by short-term or long-term disability insurance can qualify for wage replacement payments if they’re unable to work at a job for several weeks, months, or years.

Other programs, such as workers’ compensation, are available specifically to help employees who were injured at work or need to take time off to recover from an illness. There are many different resources available to people with health conditions that interfere with their jobs, so if you can’t work and you need money, it’s important to figure out which programs are right for you before you apply for benefits, compensation, or medical leave.

I Can’t Physically Do My Job Anymore; What Are My Options?

You have several options if you’re unable to return to your job due to a physical impairment: apply for short-term disability benefits, long-term disability benefits, or Social Security benefits. Private short-term disability insurance is often provided by employers as a perk of the job. The program allows you to recoup a certain percentage of your normal wages, typically 50-80%, for three to six months while you recover from a (non-work-related) condition. A few states offer public short-term disability insurance, which operates in much the same way.

Long-term disability also pays wage replacement, but for a longer period of time—usually 6 to 24 months, although some plans can last for years or even decades. While short-term disability is often paid to workers who are no longer able to perform their specific job (an “own occupation” policy), long-term disability insurers typically want to see that you can’t perform your regular job or another job to which you’re reasonably suited (an “any occupation” policy). You can check out our article on short-term vs. long-term disability insurance for more information.

If you aren’t covered by a short- or long-term disability insurance plan and you’re unable to work at the level of substantial gainful activity for at least twelve months, you may qualify for Social Security benefits (SSDI or SSI). To get Social Security benefits, you’ll need to show that you either meet the requirements of a listed impairment or that you have functional limitations that rule out all full-time work. This second method is the most common way of getting SSDI or SSI.

Getting Disability by Showing That You Can’t Work

One thing that claims for short-term, long-term, and Social Security disability benefits have in common is that you’ll need to have both medical and vocational evidence showing that you’re unable to do your past job. Medical evidence tells the insurer or Social Security examiner what exactly about your health problems causes functional limitations, while vocational evidence provides information about your specific job duties. Taken together, these records should be able to explain why you can’t perform your past work.

For many Social Security and long-term disability claims, however, proving that you can’t do your past job is only one step towards getting an approval. You’ll likely also have to show that you can’t do any other jobs as well. In these cases, your medical and vocational evidence will help determine if there is any other work that you can be reasonably expected to learn how to perform.

What Medical Evidence Should You Provide?

Your medical records are the most important part of any disability claim. Without them, the plan insurer or Social Security examiner won’t be able to decide whether you can still do your job (or some other line of work, if that’s also necessary to determine). You should be prepared to provide the following records, if available:

• clinical notes from your regular physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor
• medical imaging (such as an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI)
• other objective diagnostic examinations, like an EKG or nerve conduction study
• blood work or results from any laboratory testing
• records from any specialists you’ve seen, and
• a medical source statement from your treating doctor.

The exact type of medical evidence you’ll need depends on the nature of your condition. If you’re claiming disability due to a back injury, for example, your records will be different than they would if you were filing based on symptoms of PTSD.

What Vocational Evidence Should You Provide?

The paperwork for short-term and long-term disability insurance claims typically has an “employer statement” section for your supervisor, HR representative, or benefits administrator to complete. This section usually asks for the following information about your job:

• your official title and department
• the usual days and hours that you work
• your duties and responsibilities
• the types of tools you use in the normal course of your job
• the environment in which you conduct your work, and
• the number of hours you perform basic tasks like sitting, standing, and communicating with others.

The last bullet point is one of the most important pieces of vocational evidence you’ll need. It tells the insurer what the physical and mental demands of your past job were. If the medical evidence shows that you can no longer meet those demands, then—under an “own occupation” insurance policy—your claim should be approved. And if you’re 50 or older, this may be enough to approve your Social Security disability claim as well, thanks to a special set of rules known as the “medical-vocational grid.”

If you have an “any occupation” insurance plan or you’re filing for Social Security benefits before age 50, you’ll need to show that there aren’t any other jobs that you can perform, given your medical limitations. Long-term disability insurance plans will consider factors such as where you live, your education level, and your past earnings to determine whether you’re “reasonably suited” to perform a “gainful occupation,” but Social Security doesn’t take those into account. Instead, the agency needs to see that you have a residual functional capacity that rules out all jobs that exist in significant numbers in the national economy. (20 C.F.R. § 404.1566 (2026).)

How Your Residual Functional Capacity Can Rule Out All Work in a Social Security Disability Claim

In order to determine what kinds of jobs you can do, Social Security reviews your medical records and daily activities to assess your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC represents the most you can do in a work environment despite any limitations from your medical condition. Restrictions in your RFC can be exertional—meaning they limit how much weight you can lift or how long you stand—and they can be non-exertional, which covers all other functions that aren’t strength-related (including mental functions).

Most disability claimants have a combination of non-exertional and exertional limitations in their RFC. This combination of restrictions is very important when it comes to getting your disability claim approved. That’s because the more limitations you have in your RFC, the less likely it is that there will be any jobs that you can do. The process of ruling out certain jobs is called “eroding the occupational base.” You’ll have to rule out performing even the easiest sit-down jobs (sedentary work) on a regular and sustained basis to get disability.

Working on a regular and sustained basis essentially means being able to do a job full-time (eight hours a day, five days a week) for an extended period (many months or years in a row). Let’s look at some of the most persuasive ways you can show that you’re unable to perform a sedentary job on a regular and sustained basis.

You Physically Can’t Perform the Exertional Demands of a Sit-Down Job

As defined by Social Security, sedentary work involves lifting no more than 10 pounds and standing or walking for no longer than two hours total out of an 8-hour workday. (SSR 96-9p). That means that sedentary jobs require you to sit for a total of six hours in the workday. Many medical conditions can affect your ability to sit for that long. If you need to recline, elevate your legs, or lie down when you should be sitting upright, your RFC may rule out sit-down work.

Your Medical Condition or Treatment Keeps You From Finishing a Full Workday

All jobs, even the least physically taxing ones, still require that you complete a full 8-hour workday. While a certain amount of break time is built into the workday, any additional breaks in excess of a 30-minute lunch break and two 15-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon are usually considered “incompatible with competitive employment.”

You Have Physical or Mental Impairments That Reduce Your Productivity

Every employer expects their employees to maintain a certain level of productivity. If your medical conditions cause significant difficulties maintaining your concentration, persistence, and pace to the point that you’re spending too much time “off-task,” an employer won’t want to hire you for even the most basic sit-down jobs.

You Would Miss Too Much Work Due to Excessive Absences

Symptoms of medical conditions often fluctuate, resulting in “good days” and “bad days.” But just because you might be able to work efficiently at a sit-down job on your “good days” doesn’t mean that you could do the same on your “bad days.” And if your “bad days” occur at a frequency that exceeds employer tolerances (generally defined by vocational experts as more than one per month), you won’t be able to perform sedentary work on a full-time basis.

If you think one of the above reasons (or another reason) applies to you, ask your doctor to write a medical source statement on your behalf explaining why you’d need to take extra breaks, elevate your legs, or miss workdays, for example. Social Security values opinions from medical professionals who’ve seen you regularly and can provide useful insight into your limitations.

What Happens If You Can’t Return to Work Right Away After An Injury, But Expect to Return?

Employees often need to take time away from work to attend to an illness or injury with the expectation that they’ll be ready to come back to their job once they feel better. Short-term and long-term disability benefits can help tide you over financially, but if you don’t have access to those benefits, there are other programs available to assist you while you’re recovering.

For example, if your injury occurred on the job, you might be entitled to temporary (or “time-loss”) workers’ compensation benefits, which usually start soon after your workers’ comp claim is approved. You may also be eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), regardless of whether or not you were injured at work. (29 U.S.C. §§ 2601–2654 (2026).)

How Social Security Back Pay Can Help When You Need Money

Because the disability determination process is so lengthy, if you’re successful, you’ll likely be entitled to past-due benefits for the time that you were disabled but waiting on a decision from Social Security. That means that once your claim is approved, in addition to ongoing monthly benefits, you’ll receive a lump-sum payment that represents the months that you should have been getting disability payments had Social Security not taken so long to make a decision. You should receive your back pay within 30-60 days of getting approved for benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about getting disability for a medical condition.

Can You Get Disability If You Can Still Work Part-Time?

It depends. Some workers’ compensation programs pay out even if you’re performing light-duty work for your employer, and you can receive Social Security benefits if you’re working part-time as long as you aren’t earning above the substantial gainful activity level ($1,690 per month in 2026).

What If I Tried to Go Back to Work But Physically Can’t?

Social Security may consider this to be an unsuccessful work attempt. Unsuccessful work attempts can sometimes help your claim, especially if the job was less physically or mentally demanding than your past work.

Do Age, Education, and Work History Matter?

Sometimes. “Any occupation” long-term disability insurers can consider your age, education, and past work when determining whether you’d be reasonably suited to a different job, and Social Security looks at transferable skills when deciding if somebody 50 years or older can adjust to another line of work.

I Was Denied Disability Although I Can’t Work, What Now?

If you received a denial on your claim for short-term, long-term, or Social Security disability benefits, you can appeal the decision. You can check out our dedicated articles on appeals for each type of disability benefits listed below.

• Appealing a Denied Short-Term Disability Claim
• How to Appeal a Long-Term Disability Denial
• How Do You Start an Appeal for Social Security Disability?

It’s a good idea to contact an experienced long-term disability attorney or Social Security lawyer to help you with your appeal. Many firms offer free consultations, so you can ask around to find a lawyer who’s a good fit for the particulars of your case.