When applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) your date last insured is a crucial aspect of whether you meet the technical aspects of this disability program.
Social Security has set specific guidelines for who can qualify for disability programs and these guidelines must be met even before the question of disability is decided.
The DLI is the final date in which you are eligible for SSDI benefits. Basically, it requires a disabled worker to have worked long enough and recently enough to qualify for this program. Social Security grants work credits for this program on a quarterly basis. Your quarterly benefits are based on the amount of time you work while you were paying Social Security taxes. The general rule when determining whether you meet the requirements of SSDI is that you had to have worked fulltime at least five out of the last 10 years.
Social Security determines your DLI based on your work history and how many credits you have accumulated. The main reason this is important is that you have to prove to the Social Security Administration that you were disabled prior to or on your DLI. If your DLI is in the past, especially by several years by the time you first apply for SSDI, it can be more difficult to convince Social Security to find you disabled prior to your last DLI.
Social Security allows workers to earn a maximum of four work credits per year. To earn a work credit you must earn $1,130 while paying Social Security taxes. To earn the maximum of four credits over a 12-month period you have to earn $4,520. Because older workers have opportunities to earn more work credits Social Security has determined that the total number of credits needed to qualify for SSDI is higher for older workers and less for younger workers.
Once you meet the technical requirements of either SSDI then Social Security will begin to determine whether you meet the medical requirements for SSDI.
Below is a chart which shows how many earned work credits are needed for a worker to be eligible for SSDI.
AGE Work Credits Needed
