What Is Covered Under Social Security Disability?

Federal Level Evaluation

At the first stage of review, Social Security Administration officials evaluate each application to ensure that it meets basic federal guidelines. One criterion relates to the applicant's age and duration of earnings: before becoming disabled, he must have worked for a certain number of years in order to qualify. If he is 50 years old, for example, he must have held a job for at least seven years. A second criterion is whether the applicant still works, and if so, how much he is able to earn. This amount may not exceed a certain maximum, which is adjusted each year.

Once approved at the federal level, SSDI claims are assessed by Disability Determination Services in each applicant's state. These officials focus on medical records and other health-related information to establish the nature, duration, severity and impact of the reported disability. For example, they consult a list of impairments considered serious enough to warrant automatic SSDI coverage. They may also ask doctors to decide whether a claimant is able to carry out certain work-related activities, like walking, lifting or communicating with others.

Blindness and poor vision are evaluated differently because of their particularly serious impacts on a person's ability to work. In general, these conditions are covered by SSDI as long as a claimant's visual acuity cannot be corrected beyond 20/200 in at least one eye, or if his range of sight is limited to no more than 20 degrees. Even if an applicant is not considered legally blind, he may still qualify for benefits if his vision restrictions make his other medical problems worse.

Each qualified claimant receives a monthly cash payment, in an amount based on the average of his total lifetime earnings. Certain family members may also obtain benefits. Examples of eligible relatives include a spouse who is 62 or older, a spouse who is caring for a disabled child, a healthy child who is 18 or younger or a child who became disabled before the age of 22. To qualify, a child's disability must meet the same SSDI criteria as an adult.