Social Security Disability Insurance in North Carolina

Learn About SSDI Benefits

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is not welfare, and it is not a free handout. Instead, it is a social insurance program that provides a safety net to catch citizens who have fallen into misfortune after suffering a debilitating medical condition. SSDI is not a means-tested program. On the contrary, coverage is not available unless you have been working and have made sufficient contributions to the Social Security fund. To qualify for this type of insurance, you must have earned a qualifying number of credits over the course of your career up to this point. Credits are earned through payroll deductions when you have worked at jobs where your checks were subject to the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax.

Eligibility for SSDI is based on having accumulated a sufficient number of credits, which are also referred to as quarters of coverage (QC). As of 2013, you can earn a credit for every $1,160 of earnings, though this figure increases over time on pace with the gradual increase in overall wages. In a single year, you can earn a maximum of four credits; earnings in excess of this amount will not provide you with additional credits. The number of credits that are required before you can receive coverage through Social Security Disability Insurance depends on your age at the time you became disabled.

If your disability began before you reached the age of 24, you will need 1.5 years’ worth of credits, which amounts to a total of 6 credits, and must have accumulated these credits in the 3 years preceding your disability. If you were between the ages of 24 and 30 at the time of your disability, you would need credits for half of the years between your 21st birthday and the date when you became disabled. For those who became disabled after turning 31 years of age, it is necessary to have at least 20 credits that were earned in the past 10 years. Provided that you have accumulated the required number of credits, you will next need to prove that you are suffering from a qualifying disability in order to get your claim for benefits approved.

What qualifies as a disability for Social Security Disability Insurance?

Social Security Disability Insurance, unlike workers’ compensation and many other insurance programs, does not pay benefits for short-term disability or for partial disability. Instead, your injury or illness must be great enough that it has prevented or will prevent you from working for a minimum of one year. It is not necessary to wait a full year prior to filing your claim for coverage, but you must have a diagnosis that indicates that you will be unable to work for at least a year. Alternatively, you can qualify for SSDI if your condition is expected to result in death.

To find out whether you qualify and get started on your claim, contact us now at Golson, McCracken Inc. by filling out our client intake form.