To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you must establish that you have a medically determinable impairment that prevents you from performing substantial gainful activity (SGA). In other words, it hinders you from returning to your previous job post, executing similar work, or any work that helps you meet the enforced income threshold (i.e., $1,620 or $2,700 per month for non-blind or blind individuals, respectively). It is one thing to state this, but it is another to effectively prove this to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in your benefits application. That said, please follow along to find out how to demonstrate that you can’t return to work and how a proficient New Jersey SSDI attorney at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur can help you gather the necessary evidence.
How do I prove that I can’t return to work to the SSA?
First, you must show the SSA that you have been diagnosed with an eligible disability through the medical records you have collected thus far and your retrieved doctor’s note. Then, most importantly, to indicate that your disability means your inability to return to work, you must present a residual functional capacity (RFC) report. Namely, your treating physician may conduct an RFC evaluation to determine your physical and mental abilities to perform work-related tasks. This report may ascertain that your limitations are too great to conceivably achieve an SGA.
A detailed work history may supplement your RFC report nicely. Your employer may help with this by testifying on your behalf. In their testimony, they may review your work expectations, both physical and mental ones. Then, they may explain how your diagnosed disability will likely inhibit you from performing at the same level as your coworkers or another worker in this same position. For example, they may state that your physical limitations require you to take more breaks and days off from work, while your mental limitations have you seeking the aid of your coworkers more often than is expected.
What should my work activity have been before applying for SSDI benefits?
Even if you have the medical evidence necessary to solidify your need for SSDI benefits, your work history may fall short of what the SSA requires. That is, to collect SSDI benefits in the future, you must have contributed enough to the program in the past. This is based on a system of work credits. Generally speaking, you need to have earned at least 40 work credits, 20 of which must have been earned in the 10 years immediately before the year of your disability onset date.
As of 2025, you may earn one work credit for every $1,810 in wages or self-employment income you earn in each quarter of the year. With this, you may earn up to four work credits per year, possibly qualifying for SSDI benefits in just 10 short years since you started working. Of course, you may be eligible for this program with fewer work credits if you were diagnosed with your eligible disability at a relatively younger age.
Before you find yourself in an even worse position, you must retain legal representation from The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur. A talented New Jersey SSDI attorney from our law firm will guide you on what to do next.
