Individuals eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may also be entitled to receive Social Security benefits. An application for SSI benefits is also an application for Social Security benefits, although the latter requires additional information from the applicant before such benefits may be awarded.
To receive monthly Social Security benefits for applications filed December 1, 1996. or later, applicants must be either a U.S. citizen or lawfully present alien. To be eligible for social security benefits as a worker, the applicant must be:
The Social Security Administration (SSA) measures work in “work credits” with up to four work credits per year available based on an applicant’s annual earnings. The amount of earnings required for a work credit increases each year to correspond to the increase in general wage levels.
To qualify for benefits based on blindness or retirement, an applicant must have earned an average of one work credit for each calendar year between age 21 and the year in which the applicant reached age 62 or became disabled or blind. A claimant may compile a maximum of 40 work credits while the SSA requires a minimum of six work credits, regardless of age.
Eligibility for Social Security benefits based on a disability other than blindness generally requires 20 work credits earned in the last 10 years ending with the year that the applicant became disabled. The following chart indicates the work credits needed by age:
| Born After 1929 Become Disabled at Age |
Work Credits Needed |
| 31 through 42 | 20 |
| 44 | 22 |
| 46 | 24 |
| 48 | 26 |
| 50 | 28 |
| 52 | 30 |
| 54 | 32 |
| 56 | 34 |
| 58 | 36 |
| 60 | 38 |
| 62 or older | 40 |
Accurately establishing a claim for Social Security disability benefits requires the experience and expertise of the attorneys at Powell Law. If you are disabled and believe that you are entitled to benefits, contact Powell Law today. Our decades of experience make it the clear and obvious choice for representation in legal matters in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and surrounding areas. Contact Powell Law at (570) 961-0777.
