Qualifications

• Social Security Disability is based on the health of an applicant in conjunction with the applicant's work history. Before a person can receive Social Security Disability benefits, he must have worked to pay into the system. Health related requirements that include an injury or illness expected to last at least one year or end in death must be established by appropriate medical records from all treating physicians and health care professionals. Virginia residents, and all applicants, can be treated by physicians outside their state as long as the provider is licensed in that state.
  
  

Work History

• Social Security Disability should be thought of as an insurance policy rather than a grant program. To qualify, applicants must have earned a specific number of work credits determined by the their age at the time the disabling condition or injury occurred. As of 2010, one work credit is earned per quarter, or three-month period, when $1,120 is earned. Workers earn up to four work credits per year. Employment credits do not have to be earned in the state in which the applicant resides, as credits are tracked by the Social Security Administration through Social Security numbers.
  
  

Application

• Applications for Social Security Disability can be filed at a local Social Security Administration field office, located throughout Virginia, via telephone by calling 800-772-1213 or online through the SSA's online application tool (see Resources). Virginia Social Security Administration field offices are located in Accomac, Alexandria, Arlington, Bristol, Charlottesville, Chesterfield, Covington, Culpeper, Danville, Fairfax, Farmville, Fredericksburg, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Manassas, Martinsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, South Boston, Staunton, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Winchester, Wise and Wytheville. (Ref 5)
  
  

Determination Process

• All Social Security Disability applications are processed by the local SSA field office, regardless of how they were filed. Once the application has been reviewed for thoroughness by the field office staff, the application is then reviewed and processed by the Disability Determination Services office which is part of the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. DDS representatives review each application following guidelines established by the SSA regarding medical criteria, psychological evidence, medical evidence, vocational criteria and a consultative evaluation which provides an overall picture of the applicant's condition. Upon conclusion of the DDS review, the application is approved for benefits or denied.