By saying that benefits were EARNED, you imply that you worked steadily for those 34 years and were current with your quarters. You could not do that because of your health issues, so those benefits were NOT earned.

It is important to make that point clear so as not to confuse the new posters who come here with questions, trying to understand how the system works.

Let's let this thread get back on track for the new member that asked the first question.

If more discussion per ginnies case that can be on a new thread for her, or via PM.
Thank you.

Do you have any Dr. reports or anything showing you became disabled in 2000? I believe that's what year you said you did. Even though you did work for 2 1/2 years, you did work with a disability. If you have any doctors reports those need to be used to show you were disabled on or before your last insured date. Perhaps someone has already mentioned doing this, so sorry if this is just a repeat of what someone may have said. Also, from what I'm now learning they also look & count five years after your last insured date, so it sounds to me like you are in that category.

I know when dealing with the social security office they are very quick to say to someone they don't qualify if they can use the last insured date routine. I've dealt with it myself so I know. It isn't an end all, but you have to work that much harder to prove your disability started around that date. I personally think it's a stupid rule if someone hasn't known about it. I notice the social security office doesn't state someone's last insured date on their yearly statements they send out. I think we know why. They deliberately don't do that, they don't want people to know. Some people have told me it's like car insurance, but I notice my car insurance does tell me the date I'm insured to. Besides that, we aren't cars, we are human beings who have unfortunately fallen under a very bad rule that works in their favor if you don't do extra steps to prove everything. Good luck, you have my sympathy. It's too bad employees can't just build up an account to use if they ever become disabled & the date insured has nothing to do with it. If it's that critical regarding the date, again they should DISCLOSE this to each working employee. Just keep fighting and don't give up, that's what they want you to do.

Here is a quote from my Social Security Statement dated 7/15/1998 under the heading Disability Benefits:

"If you become disabled right now, you need 22 credits to qualify for benefits. You have to earn 20 of these credits in the last 10 years. Your record shows you do not have enough credits in the 10-year period.

Because you do not meet both parts of the disability credits requirement right now, we are not giving you a benefit estimate. If you work in the future and earn enough credits to qualify, we will give you a benefit estimate then"

Didn't read the rest of mine, but this one Statement did spell out the disability requirement pretty well. I doubt it is an anomaly.

Granny,

I think it's important to remember that (aside from a few specific medical issues) it's not having a certain diagnosis that would have "put you on SSDI". Being approved as totally disabled for SSDI/SSI purposes is about how a certain medical condition affects each applicant and their ability t do work. Despite having certain diagnoses, you state that you were able to work, for several years after that. That would mean that you weren't totally disabled at that time.

My primary disabling condition is RSD. It has left me totally disabled.

There are many members of Neuro Talk on the RSD forum who are still able to manage working. They are not totally disabled by their RSD at this time. Paula Abdul worked for years on American Idol, earning and paying SS taxes on a sizeable salary, after her dx of RSD. She wasn't totally disabled by it.

I'm sorry that you weren't more aware of the eligibility requirements for SSDI when it could have helped you. Unfortunately, too many of us don't think of the important details about many insurances until it's too late.

The way I interpret your comment, your credits expired for disability benefits. Credits for retirement under SS do not expire from what I understand. Once you have earned enough credits for retirement, you are entitled to retirement benefits upon reaching retirement age.

Back to disability. I don't have the rules in front of me but it is my understanding that credits must be earned for 5 out of 10 years prior to your disability. WHEN your credits are earned affects disability benefit rules but NOT retirement benefit rules. Example: You work from age 22 to 42 and earn 80 credits, more than enough for retirement. You quit working at 42 and stay home. At age 52, you return to the workforce and work for a year and then become disabled at age 53. For disability, they look at the prior 10 years credits. You would only have at best, 4 credits, for the year you worked between the age of 42 and 53.

Well, that is how I interpret the rules. I could be wrong and many here will be glad to point that out if I am incorrect.

I hope I have helped respond to the comment as you stated.

I did have the same thing happen to me as far as credits worked. I believe that explaination is correct. I just squeeked by as I had too many breaks for health conditions, and lost previous credits. Don't like the system, it is hard when you have the medical problems that keep you from working. ginnie