What Criteria Does the Social Security Administration Use?
When an adult child is applying for benefits for the first time, or is having child benefits renewed, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will use adult disability criteria. The adult must have a: • Physical condition, mental condition, or a combination of both; • Condition that prevents them from doing a significant amount of work; and • Condition will last at least a year or death is an expected result. How Does the Social Security Administration Determine if an Adult Child Is Disabled? If the above criteria are met, the SSA will then compare the adult’s condition with a list of impairments that would prevent someone from working for at least a year. • If the person’s condition matches an impairment on the list, then the adult is approved for benefits. • If the person’s condition is not equal to impairment on the list then the adult’s ability to perform work similar to what was performed in the past is examined. If they cannot do the work performed in the past, then the adult is
