Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits provide income for people who are no longer able to work due to a mental or physical ailment. Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is complicated, denying most applications despite the claimant being legitimately disabled. The likelihood of being approved depends on numerous factors, including your age group. If you or a family member need Social Security Disability, consult the guide below on how age-based approval is determined.   

How Are Benefits Determined? 

What is the Medical-Vocational Grid?

The SSA places people into five age groups: 18-44 (classified as “young individuals”), 45-49 (“younger individuals”), 50-54 (“approaching advanced age”), 55-59 (“advanced age”), and 60-65 (“retirement age”), then applies the Medical-Vocation Grid, which also factors in education, skills, past work experience, and physical capability to evaluate disability claims.

The older you are, the easier it is to be approved for social security disability. Not only is less proof required as you age, but the SSA also believes that workers over 50 have fewer skills that are transferrable to the modern workplace.

For example, a 50-year-old skilled worker with limited (or high school) education becomes physically restricted, and only able to work a sedentary job. They would qualify for disability because the retraining period would be too long or too steep for them to keep up.

How Do People Under 50 Claim Social Security Disability Benefits?

It’s more difficult for individuals under 50 to claim disability benefits. Most approvals happen when the claimant has a severe impairment that is so limiting that their treating physicians are willing to give limitations so extreme that full-time employment in any capacity would be impossible. They could also be approved if their illness is on the “Compassionate Allowance” list of serious and easily provable conditions, such as early-onset Alzheimer’s, or acute leukemia.

Since SSDI is usually based on work history, disabled children under 18  may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as long as their parents don’t have too many resources to exclude them from the SSI benefit.  Children with documented physical, mental, or psychological conditions such as cancer, autism, or schizophrenia can be placed on SSI until adulthood at 18 when their case is redetermined under adult disability rules. Please note that a child’s disability and resulting symptoms have to be extreme in order to be eligible for benefits under the law.  

If you are experiencing a disability, and require assistance with the SSA’s evaluation process, reach out to Disability Claims Consultants. With over 40 years of combined experience, they are dedicated to ensuring you receive the Social Security Disability benefits you need. Located in Omaha, but representing clients throughout the entire state of Nebraska, and western Iowa, they will guide you through the entire application process. For a free case evaluation, call them toll-free at (877) 686-2244. To set an appointment, call (402) 422-1000. For a complete list of their services, including benefits for family members, and SSI for children, visit their website.