FAQ's

What is Social Security Disability?
Social Security Disability is a program administered both by the State and Federal Government which provides monthly cash benefits and medical assistance to individuals determined by Social Security to be totally disabled and unable to perform any type of work activity.

The law defines disability under the Social Security program as the inability to do any kind of substantial gainful activity SGA or work, due to any physical or mental impairment, which is expected to last for at least twelve months or result in death. To meet this definition, a person must have a severe impairment which prevents that person from performing any type of work in the national economy.

What is Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)?
Substantial Gainful Activity or SGA is defined as work on a full or part-time basis in which an individual earns a preset amount of monthly income which is determined by Social Security. The monthly income amount changes from year to year and is calculated by Social Security. The Social Security Administration sets the SGA earnings amount on an annual basis taking into consideration inflation and other economic factors. Example: If the SGA level is $750 per month, and a person earns less than $750 per month, that person is below SGA and may be financially eligible to apply for disability benefits.

What is a Severe Impairment?
A severe impairment is any disorder, physical or mental, that can be shown by acceptable medical evidence to prevent a person from functioning normally in an ordinary working environment. If the impairment does not interfere with the claimant's ability to perform work activity, it is probably not a severe impairment as defined by Social Security.

How long must the Impairment Last?
Unless the impairment is expected to result in death, it must last or be expected to last for twelve consecutive months. This requirement is called the duration requirement and is an important part of Social Security’s definition of a total disability.

What is Acceptable Medical Evidence?
Acceptable medical evidence means that the evidence itself can be used by SSA to make a final decision in a disability claim. Any evidence submitted by a licensed physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, optometrist, or ophthalmologist, is considered to be acceptable evidence for determination of a disability case. Authorized summaries of medical records from hospitals, clinics, sanitariums and other medical institutions are also acceptable for case analysis.

Chiropractic and non-medical holistic sources are not considered to be acceptable medical sources for making a final determination of a disability case. However, these sources are important and can give a fuller picture of a claimant's real capabilities.

What is an Alleged Onset Date (AOD)?
An Alleged Onset Date (AOD) is the date alleged by the claimant as being the beginning date of the impairment or the date his impairment forced him to stop working. This date is used by both the advocate and Social Security to determine the approximate date for requested medical evidence. That is, you want to request medical evidence from at least the alleged onset date to the present.

What is an Established Onset Date (EOD)?
The Established Onset Date (EOD) is the date of onset of an impairment established by the Social Security office. Often the AOD and the EOD are the same, but they can be very different.

Example: A client injures himself and is no longer able to perform his customary work from that date forward. The date of injury or the day he stopped working is the same date. However, if the claimant was injured and returned to work for several months at full pay, then stopped working as a result of his impairment, the earlier AOD would not be the same as the later EOD. SSA will use the EOD as the official onset date in the case. The claimant’s benefits would be calculated from the EOD in this case, not the AOD.

What is the 20/40 Rule?
In order for a person to be determined eligible to apply for SSDI benefits, that person must not only be currently earning less than SGA, he must also meet the 20/40 rule. The 20/40 rule refers to the total number of quarters a person must have worked in the past ten years in order to be insured under the Social Security Disability Insurance program. If the applicant meets the 20/40 rule, he can then proceed with his application.