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Workers who become disabled due to injuries, illnesses, or other health conditions and cannot work may be entitled to disability benefits. However, specific government-run disability benefit programs require applicants to have a work history that reflects their contributions to government benefit systems. As a result, many applicants wonder, how long do you have to work to qualify for disability in California?
Understanding SSDI and Work Credits
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a disability benefits program operated by the Social Security Administration that provides financial payments to workers who’ve had to leave the workforce due to a disabling medical condition. To receive benefits, applicants must have an adequate work history, as measured by the number of work credits they have accumulated. A person receives a work credit when they earn a specific amount of income subject to Social Security taxes, up to a maximum of four credits per year.
SSDI eligibility requirements include having a total number of work credits and a specific number of “recent” work credits earned within a specific period before the onset of an individual’s disability.
How Many Months or Years Do You Have to Work?
The number of months or years you need to work and the number of work credits you need to earn in order to qualify for SSDI will depend on how old you were when you became disabled. Workers 31 and older need at least 20 credits earned in the ten years preceding the onset of disability. The minimum number of credits for workers 31 and older increases with age. Workers aged 31 through 42 require 20 total credits. The total number of credits necessary increases by two credits for every two years of age thereafter, until a worker reaches age 62.
Workers under 31 have different work history requirements. Those who become disabled before the age of 24 must have earned six credits in the three years preceding their disability. Those aged 24 through 30 need work credits equal to half the time between age 21 and their age at the onset of disability. For example, a worker who becomes disabled at 29 needs 16 work credits, as eight years have elapsed since they turned 21, reduced by half to four years, or the equivalent of 16 credits.
SSDI in California
As a program run by the federal Social Security Administration, SSDI places the same requirements on California residents as it does on residents of other states. However, like several other states, California also operates a separate disability benefits program for residents called State Disability Insurance (SDI). SDI offers short-term disability benefits to eligible workers who need time off from work to recover from short-term disabilities, pregnancy, or childbirth. SDI has less strict eligibility requirements than SSDI, as California residents only need $300 in earnings from which the state deducted taxes for SDI.
However, qualifying for one program does not automatically mean you can qualify for the other.
What to Do If You Have Questions About Your Work History
If you have questions about whether you have a sufficient work history to obtain SSDI benefits, you can check the Social Security Administration’s records online to see how long you have worked and paid Social Security taxes. Furthermore, you can speak with an SSD attorney to review your work records and determine if you meet the criteria for SSDI benefits.
Contact an SSD Lawyer Today
If you’ve become disabled and cannot work in California, you may be entitled to disability benefits through the Social Security Administration’s SSDI program—depending on your work history, that is. Contact Disability Advocates Group today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss whether you have worked long enough to qualify for SSDI benefits and, if so, how we can help you apply for them.