If you’re applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, you may wonder what the magic formula is to ensure your application will be accepted. Unfortunately, SSDI approvals are never guaranteed. To ensure fairness throughout the country, the Social Security disability program relies on strict medical and vocational evidence and it follows a highly complex set of rules. This makes it difficult for an average person to submit an optimal application. Disability determinations at the initial and reconsideration level occur at the state DDS (Disability Determination Services). SSA has contracts with each state for the purpose of issuing these determinations. At the DDS level, your claim is assigned to a disability examiner that must follow the instructions contained in the POMS (“Policy and Operational Management System”). The POMS contain over 20,000 pages to ensure that every examiner follows the same rules, so what can possibly go wrong? We specialize in SSDI/SSI disability and understand how to advocate for your benefits in the best possible light.
The majority of first-time applicants—roughly 67 percent—are denied on the first try. However, certain factors can add up to a strong case for receiving SSDI. These factors do not guarantee a specific result but may improve your approval odds.
You Have Enough Work Credits
SSDI provides benefits to those with a disabling condition that prevents them from working. To qualify, an applicant must have paid enough tax into Social Security during their lifetime to have become “insured” by the SSDI program. Regardless of the extent of your disability, you must have enough Social Security work credits or quarters of coverage to receive approval for SSDI benefits. You must also have earned a certain number of those credits within your recent work history.
The number of work credits needed to qualify depends on your age when you became disabled. For example, if you became disabled before you turned 28, you must have accrued six work credits during your lifetime. However, if your disability began at age 50, you need 28. The time it takes to earn the required work credits varies based on how many you earn each year. If you earn the full four credits every year, you’ll reach your eligibility level in the shortest time possible.
Strong Medical Documentation
One of the leading reasons Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims are denied is the absence of strong, objective medical evidence. To qualify for benefits, it’s not enough to simply describe your symptoms—you must prove, through medical records, that your condition is severe, well-documented, and prevents you from working.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) places significant weight on clinical findings such as diagnostic test results, laboratory findings, physician observations, and treatment history. These are essential in demonstrating the existence, severity, and expected duration of your impairment.
To strengthen your claim, your file should include:
- Regular documentation from a treating specialist familiar with your condition and its impact on your daily function.
- Records of hospitalizations, especially recent or repeated admissions related to your condition.
- Evidence of consistent and ongoing treatment, which shows the seriousness and persistence of your medical issues.
The more thorough and medically grounded your documentation, the stronger your case becomes. Be sure to submit all available evidence—this includes progress notes, test results, imaging studies, prescribed medications, and referrals to specialists.
Ultimately, the goal is to present a clear, medically supported picture that aligns with SSA’s standards. A well-documented file—supported by signs, symptoms, and objective medical findings—can make the difference between denial and approval. You want to build the most compelling case possible, and the more information you have, the more compelling your case will be.
How Education Affects Your SSDI Claim
While having an advanced degree does not disqualify you from receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), your educational background plays a key role in how the Social Security Administration evaluates your ability to return to work.
If you do not have an advanced degree, it may actually strengthen your disability case, particularly when the SSA assesses your vocational profile—that is, your ability to adjust to other types of work based on your age, education, and work experience.
Here’s why:
Jobs that don’t require higher education often involve physical labor, repetitive tasks, or standing and walking for long periods. If your medical condition limits your ability to perform these types of activities, it becomes much easier to show that you cannot return to past work and also cannot reasonably adjust to other available work.
On the other hand, individuals with advanced degrees are generally assumed to have more access to sedentary or skilled work, which the SSA may believe they can still perform—even with limitations—unless the medical evidence strongly proves otherwise.
That’s why it’s critical to clearly document how your impairments prevent you from performing both physical and non-physical tasks, regardless of your education level. But for those without an advanced degree, the vocational outlook may make it easier to establish that no suitable jobs remain.
Age Matters—Especially If You're 50 or Older
Your age plays a critical role in how the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates your ability to work. Once you turn 50, the rules start to shift in your favor.
SSA recognizes that as people age, it becomes more difficult to adapt to new types of work or undergo retraining. This means that individuals aged 50 or older are less likely to be expected to transition into new careers, especially if their background involves physically demanding or lower-skilled work. As a result, the vocational standards are more favorable to older applicants.
For individuals under 50, the SSA assesses whether you can perform any work in the national economy, considering your education, past work, and transferable skills—even if that work is very different from what you’ve done before.
However, if you’re 50 or older, the burden is lighter. You generally only need to prove that you can no longer perform your past relevant work—especially if that work was physically demanding or required specific skills that can’t easily be transferred. If this is the case, and your medical condition limits you from returning to that prior work, SSA may presume that you are disabled, even if you could theoretically perform some other job.
In short: age 50 is a turning point in SSDI evaluations. If you are 50 or older, your vocational profile may significantly strengthen your case for benefits.
You Have a Terminal Illness
If you have a terminal illness, such as cancer or ALS, you may qualify for a Compassionate Allowance. Compassionate Allowances are an expedited form of Social Security benefit given to people with extremely serious or terminal conditions. These conditions have been predetermined to meet the SSA’s standards for disability, meaning that a person diagnosed with a listed condition is presumed to be severely disabled and unable to work. The program exists to ensure that people who are nearing the end of their lives receive benefits quickly so that they and their families or caregivers are not financially struggling while coping with a fatal illness.
Assembling a Strong Case for Your Hearing
Most people who apply for SSDI are denied benefits on their first application. There’s a good possibility that your best case will occur before an Administrative Law Judge, or ALJ.
It’s important to put your best foot forward in the courtroom to maximize your chances of a successful appeal. Skilled advocates will guide you through the hearing process and cross-examination of any medical or vocational witnesses. Here are a few helpful tips from advocates:
- Know the Record Inside and Out
- Review the full file in the Electronic Records Express (ERE) before the hearing.
- Identify any gaps in medical evidence, outdated records, or areas where clarification may help.
- Highlight objective medical evidence (labs, imaging, specialist evaluations) that support your client’s limitations.
- Focus on Functional Limitations, Not Just Diagnoses
- Judges don’t award benefits based on a diagnosis—they want to understand how the condition limits the ability to work.
- Frame the case around specific restrictions: lifting, walking, concentrating, interacting with others, maintaining pace, etc.
- Align Testimony with Medical Evidence
- Prepare the claimant to speak about daily activities, symptoms, and limitations in a way that is consistent with the record.
- Avoid exaggeration. ALJs are trained to detect inconsistency.
- Help the claimant give examples: “I can only stand for 10 minutes before my legs go numb.”
- Use the SSA’s Language and Framework
- Be familiar with the 5-step sequential evaluation and applicable Grid Rules.
- Point out how the medical and vocational evidence fits into SSA’s decision-making structure.
- If possible, show how the case meets or equals a Listing or satisfies the Medical-Vocational Guidelines (Grid Rules).
- Anticipate Vocational Expert (VE) Testimony
- Prepare for hypothetical questions the ALJ may ask the VE.
- Be ready to cross-examine the VE on transferable skills, sit/stand options, off-task behavior, or absenteeism rates.
- Frame helpful hypotheticals showing how combined impairments or functional deficits rule out competitive work.
- Address Problem Areas Directly
- If there are gaps in treatment, drug/alcohol issues, prior work at SGA, or inconsistent statements, don’t ignore them.
- Explain with supporting evidence (e.g., lack of access to care, remission, attempts to work despite limitations).
- Humanize the Claimant
- While facts and evidence are key, credibility and presentation matter.
- Help the judge see the claimant as a real person: their work history, attempts to get better, and how the condition has truly affected their life.
- Close with a Concise Summary
- End with a short but impactful summary: tie together the medical, vocational, and legal standards.
- Clearly state why your client meets SSA’s definition of disability and what step of the process supports it (e.g., Step 5 under Grid Rule 201.12).
Strong Testimony
It’s important to be confident when you walk into a hearing. If you have an attorney, they’ll walk you through your first round of testimony and train you not to shy away from cross-examination. Present your case as calmly and thoroughly as you can. Tell the ALJ sincerely why they should reverse your denial.
Medical and Vocational Expert Testimony
Having medical and vocational experts testify at your appeals hearing can seriously strengthen your case. Providing expert insight on why your disability prevents you from working makes your claim much more compelling to ALJ. The ALJ may summon such experts to testify, so it is often in your best interest to counter with your own experts.
Legal Representation
A lawyer with experience navigating the SSDI claims process can help your case immensely. Representing yourself at an SSDI hearing, also known as appearing pro se, is rarely in your best interest. While the judge will understand that you’re doing your best, without an attorney, you’ll likely miss strengths and weaknesses that can make or break your appeal. In addition, an attorney can more effectively cross-examine any experts testifying on the SSA’s behalf.
How To Check the Status of Your Claim
You can check the status of your SSDI claim online or by phone at 800-772-1213. It generally takes six to eight months to hear back on an initial determination. An appeal is a longer process, and you may not hear about your claim for a while.
A knowledgeable disability attorney can help you assemble the strongest possible case for an initial application or appeal. If you need help applying for SSDI or appealing a denial, contact us at Disability Advice today.
- Free case evaluation
- Assist with denied claims
- Ensure you have all documents
- Make the process easy for you
