Not yet thirty, you are working at your first “real” job. As you try to put together a solid financial plan to serve as a foundation for the years to come, you’ve begun looking at insurance products in the event that you become unable to work. It may surprise you to learn this, but the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not set a minimum age requirement on who may qualify for disability benefits like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). If you have a medical condition that has seriously interfered with your daily activities for at least a year, you can potentially obtain benefits. But you might find it more difficult to convince the SSA to approve your application if you are under fifty years old. For more information on whether you are too young for benefits, please continue reading, then contact a lawyer experienced in SSDI eligibility in New Jersey.

How young is too young for SSDI benefits in New Jersey?

To determine whether you meet the definition of disabled, the SSA will use different, age-based standards. As such, the SSA will classify your application based on the following age categories:

  • Child applicant: Someone under the age of eighteen
  • Younger individuals: Someone between ages eighteen and forty-nine
  • Closely approaching advanced age: Someone between ages fifty and fifty-four
  • Advanced age: Someone between ages fifty-five and sixty, and
  • Closely approaching retirement age: Someone between ages sixty and sixty-four

Regardless of your age, you will have to prove to the SSA that you have a medical condition that has prevented you from earning above substantial gainful activity for at least one year.

What impact does age have on SSDI benefits in New Jersey?

While it is substantially more difficult for someone under fifty years of age to obtain SSDI benefits, it is not impossible. Most younger individuals approved for SSDI benefits were able to show that they could not work even the least demanding jobs. One of the benefits of being fifty or older is that the SSA can find you disabled even if you can physically perform easier work, but you do not know how to do it and can’t learn.

How can a younger individual obtain SSDI benefits in New Jersey?

The SSA can award adults under the age of fifty SSDI benefits in one of two ways:

  • The individual’s condition meets or equals a listed impairment, or
  • The individual’s condition prevents him or her from working full-time at any job

Whatever your age, you will need to show the SSA that you can’t return to any of the jobs you did in the past. Otherwise, it can’t award you benefits. A skilled New Jersey SSD attorney can help satisfy that burden of proof, so give us a call today.

Contact a skilled New Jersey SSD Lawyer Today

With over thirty years of experience serving the entire state, our firm has the ability to help you with any SSD matter. Contact The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur for a free case evaluation.