How Do You Qualify for Social Security Disability After an Injury?

If you’ve suffered a serious injury and can’t work, Social Security disability benefits could be part of the answer to your problem. However, proving that you qualify and getting through the vast amounts of red tape involved is not easy. A Social Security disability lawyer in Victorville, CA can guide you through the process so you can focus on your recovery. 

Basics About Qualifying for SSDI

You qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits if you have worked enough, have a medical condition that meets the government’s definition of disability, and the disability is expected to last at least 12 months or result in your death. You will only qualify for SSDI if you’ve worked for long enough prior to becoming disabled. 

You’ll usually need 20 credits within the last ten years to be eligible, and you earn a credit for every $1,890 you make in a year, up to a max of four credits a year. However, if you’re younger than 24 when your disability starts, you’ll only need six credits (all earned in the three years prior to your disability). If you’re 24-31, you’ll be eligible if you worked at least half the time between the time you turned 21 and the time your disability began. 

How the Social Security Administration Decides if You Qualify

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a five-step evaluation process to decide claims:

1. Are you working at a level they call substantial gainful activity (SGA)?
2. Is your injury or condition severe? 
3. Is your condition in the Listing of Impairments (often called the Blue Book) or equal to one that is? 
4. Can you do what you did before?
5. Can you do something else? 

Each of these five steps is sequential. So, if you are making more than $1,690 a month in 2026 (or $2,830 if you’re blind), you’re considered substantially gainfully employed and won’t be eligible. If you pass step one, the next question is if your injury significantly interferes with your ability to do the sort of things that work requires: lifting, standing, sitting, walking, or remembering things. If so, you move on to step three. 

If your condition is on the List, you’ll pass on to the next step automatically. If it’s not, they’ll compare it to the List, and if your condition is as severe as a condition that’s on the List, you’ll move to step 4. That step looks at whether it’s possible for you to continue working the same job you had. If it is, you won’t qualify. If it’s not possible, the final step is to see if you can do another job. If you can’t work any job to the point where you can make at least $1,690 a month, then you’ll likely qualify. 

Consulting a Social Security Disability Lawyer in Victorville, CA

Qualifying for benefits means meeting both medical and work requirements. Call us today at the Law Offices of Vondra & Hanna for a free consultation. We understand the full impact injuries can have on people’s lives and work hard to protect the rights of High Desert residents. 

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