Social Security Disability & SSI

Which medical conditions can make someone disabled?

Social Security's rules focus more on how a medical condition will cause problems and limitations in a work setting rather than focusing on the actual condition itself. Their rules also require a disabling condition to be either terminal or expected to last a year or more. This year or more clause is called the durational requirement. As long as your condition is terminal, or meets the durational requirement, that condition can be the reason you are disabled.

Many claimants assume that some really serious conditions will make them disabled just because they have that condition. For most medical problems that isn't the case. Social Security is more interested in knowing how that condition will limit a person at work. If a very serious condition doesn't create many limitations it may not help much in explaining why you cannot work.

To win a disability case a claimant needs to focus on conditions that are most limiting in a work environment. Since the rules of the Social Security disability program stress the importance of medical records to prove disability, a claimant also needs to focus on their most limiting conditions where they have good medical evidence. Claimants are in the best position to prove they are disabled when they have severe limitations that are well supported by the medical records in their file.

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For more information on Social Security Disability, please see:

Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) FAQs
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) FAQs
Social Security Disability Links
Social Security Glossary

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