How do quarters affect my disability decision?

Question from Phran:

I first started showing symptoms of PPH in 10-03 and was officially diagnosed in 2-04. I last worked in 12-99 and was told by the social security office that I needed 20 credits to qualify for disability benefits. I was told that I met this requirement. I was also told that I first met these requirements on October 1998 and I last met these requirements on March 2005.

I received a letter last week that I was denied social security disability. The letter said that I had the ability to do sedentary work. The letter also said that my condition prevented me from doing my past job but I was able to do other types of work which are less demanding on or before 3-31-05.

I called Access to help with my appeal and they told me that I might not even qualify for disability because of my time worked. Does this sound right?

Response from Alan:

Hi Phran,

From the description of your work, Social Security's letter sounds right on target. They have clearly stated just what I would have expected to see regarding your work credits, and their letter should answer any speculation that Access has about them. (As an aside, I think you must have earned 1 work credit in 2000. This happens sometimes by getting paid in 2000 for work you performed in 1999. Had that not been the case, you would have last met the work requirement in December 2004.)

You can earn up to 4 work credits per year. Once you reach 31 years of age, you need to have enough work credits to be both fully and currently "insured." Fully insured means that you having enough work credits to retire if you reached retirement age on the date your disability began. Currently insured means that you must have at least 20 work credits in the 10-year period prior to the start of your disability. (To illustrate: If a person works continuously for 5 years and then stops, they will remain currently insured for another 5 years. The rules are a little different if disability begins before age 31.)

As long as medical evidence can show that you became disabled before March 31, 2005, benefits can be awarded. If your PH became severe enough to meet SSA's definition only after March, 2005, you could not be awarded benefits.

Good luck with your appeal,

Alan
 

May 13, 2008