An impairment that qualifies as a disability under Social Security Administration (SSA) guidelines must be quite serious. The impairment must render the applicant unable to perform any substantial gainful activity — that is, the applicant must not be able to earn more than a minimum amount of money, determined each year by the SSA.

The impairment must completely disable the applicant from working. It must be expected to last for a year, have already lasted a year or be expected to cause the applicant’s death. But this is not the end of the qualifying tests.

You can get disability benefits if you: are under full retirement age, have enough Social Security credits and, have a severe medical impairment (physical or mental) that’s expected to prevent you from doing “substantial” work for a year or more, or have a condition that is expected to result in death.

Synonyms: SSD, SSDI

A Federal supplemental income program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). It helps aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income by providing monthly cash payments to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

Synonyms: SSI