Actually, to qualify for SSDI, it isn't that you can't work, it's that you can't work at the SGA level. There are claimants that work under the SGA level prior to approval that are still awarded benefits. And there are beneficiaries that work under SGA after being approved. SS encourages beneficiaries to test their ability to work with the goal of having them make SGA. For those that can work at the SGA level, but work less to retain benefits, the Long Form CDR process is supposed to help uncover them.