When Minnesota residents have disabilities or suffer on-the-job injuries that are severe enough to prevent them from working, they sometimes gain access to certain forms of public assistance, among them Social Security disability benefits. Intended to help Americans who are so severely disabled that there is little hope of them improving over time, Social Security disability benefits are monthly payments that may help you make ends meet in the absence of employment. At Lindberg Law, P.C., we recognize that the U.S. Social Security Administration has a strict definition of “disability,” an we have helped many Americans who suffered injury on the job pursue solutions that meet their needs.
The U.S. Social Security Administration reports that whether you will ultimately qualify for disability benefits will depend primarily on two sets of circumstances. First, you must have a certain amount of work credits in order to qualify for assistance, which you obtain by working for a Social Security-covered entity over an extended period of time. The exact amount of work credits you will need to qualify for Social Security disability benefits varies from year to year.
Next, you must have a condition that meets the administration’s definition of “disability.” What does that mean, exactly? For starters, it means that your condition is one that hinders your ability to perform the job you once did, and it must also be severe enough that no reasonable efforts your employer could make to accommodate you would make a difference.
To potentially qualify for disability benefits, your disability must also be one that is unlikely to get better over time. Furthermore, it has to be severe enough that it prevents you from performing basic functions required for employment, such as speaking, standing and so on. You can find out more about work-related injuries by visiting our webpage.
