The Social Security Administration (SSA) has two safety net programs for people with disabilities. The first program is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which is based on financial need and does not require a work history for a person to qualify.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is not based on financial need. To qualify, applicants need to have a sufficient number of work credits, half of which were in the last ten years.
Contact us to learn more about Social Security disability work credits in Kansas City. Our experienced SSDI attorneys can help answer your questions.
Work credits do not translate to time spent at a job, but rather to income earned. A person can only earn four work credits each year. High-earning individuals could earn all four work credits in a single paycheck, while low-income earners can take months to obtain the same amount.
Regardless of income, the SSA caps the maximum number of work credits a person can earn to four per year. Most people must have worked five of the last ten years to have enough Social Security disability work credits to qualify for SSDI benefits in Kansas City.
Earning a work credit does not require full-time employment, even for someone making a minimum wage salary. While the dollar amount changes yearly, it is equivalent to less than five weeks of full-time labor at minimum wage.
This is essential because many people have a misconception that only full-time workers are eligible for SSDI benefits. On the contrary, part-time workers and even seasonal workers may qualify for benefits if they have the work credits.
Work credits are a way of proving that you have been involved in SGA so that you qualify for SSDI if you become disabled. If you were voluntarily out of the workforce for a substantial time (five years or more) before your disability, then you might not qualify for SSDI.
For most workers, the requirement is 40 work credits, with 20 of those credits earned within 10 years of the date of disability. Since you can earn a maximum of four credits each year, this means you had to have worked at least part of five of the last 10 years to qualify. Younger people have lower qualifying amounts.
For more information on Social Security disability work credits, call a Kansas City lawyer today.
Through work credits, the SSA restricts SSDI eligibility to those who have contributed to the insurance program in recent history. If you are unsure how Social Security disability work credits in Kansas City might impact your SSDI claim, schedule a consultation with an attorney.