How Does Social Security Determine If A Person Is Disabled?

If you become disabled and are no longer able to work, you could be eligible for disability benefits through Social Security. But how does the Social Security Administration determine disability? In this video, Tulsa Social Security Disability attorney Steve Troutman describes the process of qualifying for SSDI benefits and the requirements you must meet. To speak with a disability attorney or to schedule a free disability claim evaluation, call Troutman & Troutman at (918) 265-1404.

Video Transcription

In the Social Security setting, there is no partial disability; it is either all or nothing. A person, in order to be disabled, has to convince Social Security of, essentially, two things. First, that you couldn’t do any of the jobs that you’ve done in the past 15 years. Whether or not that job exists, whether or not the company is open doesn’t really matter. If you could physically and mentally do one of the jobs that you’ve done over the past 15 years, then you’re not disabled, according to Social Security’s rules.

If you’ve convinced them that, that you couldn’t do any job you’ve done in the past 15 years, that’s still not enough. You have to convince them that you can’t do anything, and it doesn’t matter how much income you made. So, a person that was a very successful businessperson made a million dollars a year, if they could be a Wal-Mart greeter, then they are not disabled according to Social Security. And that’s really the difficult part. It’s generally not difficult to convince Social Security someone can’t do their past job, that’s why most people apply. The harder part is to convince them that they can’t do anything else. For more information, call us at (918) 265-1404, or visit our website at TroutmanLaw.com.