What’s an Exception to the “Quarters” Rule for Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits?

In my last blog post, I discussed how a claimant can qualify for Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB); the key issue being how much he or she has paid into the system over the last 10 years.

To reiterate, essentially an applicant for DIB has had to have paid in enough per yearly “quarter” for five of the past ten years, or 20 of the past 40 “quarters,” to qualify.  Please refer to that blog post for additional details on this subject.

An Exception to the Quarter Rule

Fortunately, an exception to this rule does exist for individuals under the age of 31 that the SSA calls a “special insured status.”

Not to get too technical, but if these individuals have paid in enough to be credited with a “quarter” in one half of the “quarters” possible after they have turned 21 through the date they became disabled, or if younger than 24, then one half of the quarters in the three years prior to the date they became disabled, then they earn that “special insured status” stamp and can qualify for DIB.

Whew!

But wait, there’s more.  The SSA actually has a decent web page that goes into greater detail on this particular aspect of the disability program -- if you are a glutton for punishment.

If you or your child have been denied SSA disability benefits or suffer from a severe impairment that is expected to last more than twelve months and that prevents you from doing any of your past or other work or is causing developmental delay in your child, please contact our office nearest to you to set up a free consultation appointment to discuss your situation.