DIB – Disability Insurance Benefits

Brad Myler

Do You Qualify for DIB?

DIB, also referred to as Disability Insurance Benefits or Social Security Disability Insurance, is a Government insurance program that you pay into as you work over time. It is literally an insurance program, and is not welfare as some might think. 17.5% of non-institutionalized persons aged 21 to 64 years with a disability in the United States did not have health insurance in 2011.

The way it works is simple: as you work for an employer, a portion of each check is withheld and paid into the SSDI system. As you work, you also earn work credits, and it is these work credits that will in part determine whether or not you may receive DIB.

Essentially, you earn 1 work credit for each $1,120 of income you earn (in 2011, the amount usually increases each year), with a maximum of 4 credits earned per year. For disability purposes these credits are active for 10 years from the date they are earned (it’s different for Social Security Retirement). The number of credits needed to qualify for benefits varies with age, but if you are over the age of 31 you will need to have earned at least 20 credits in the last 10 years to meet the eligibility requirements to receive benefits. Specifics are available from the SSA here.

The other part of the equation is, of course, your disability. You will need to show that you are disabled severely enough that you will be unable to work for at least 12 months, and that there is not another form of work you could easily do, nor a reasonable accommodation that would enable you to continue working.

If you meet both the work credit requirement and the disability requirement, then you likely have a solid case and may wish to proceed with your disability application.

Of course, keep in mind that filing a Social Security Disability application can be a daunting task, even more so when you understand that the majority of applications are initially denied. When an application is denied, you then have the option to appeal, and that is where things really get tricky.

If you have questions or would like help with your application or appeal, Trajector Disability (formerly Myler Disability) is one of the nation’s largest disability advocate firms, and our people would be more than happy to help you with your case if it qualifies. Best of all, we charge no fee unless you win, making it a good option for those with limited means.