If you incur an injury while performing your job in Washington, you may be unable to work while you recover. In this situation, you might be able to receive Social Security Disability benefits to help you and your family. To receive these benefits, you usually need to meet certain requirements.
Simply having an injury does not mean you qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, your condition usually needs to meet certain criteria in order to be considered a disability. Most of the time, you need to be unable to perform your usual job for at least a year. In some situations, the SSA may require that your wound is severe enough that it might result in your death. Additionally, a disability typically needs to interfere with your ability to perform alternate forms of work.
Sometimes you need to work a certain amount of hours in order to qualify for disability benefits. The SSA uses work credits to determine whether you are eligible. You can generally receive four credits at most for the work you do in a given year and you might need up to 40 credits to qualify for Social Security Disability. However, your age may determine how many credits you need, so it is a good idea to speak to a professional in this area.
You may think that once you have enough credits and show you cannot perform your job, you will receive these benefits. However, the process can sometimes be a bit more complicated. The SSA has a list of conditions which the department considers to be disabling. Your condition may not always be on this list and in this situation, you may need to work with the SSA to demonstrate that your condition interferes with your ability to do your job.
This information is general in nature. It should not be used in place of legal advice.