How to Win SSDI for Back Pain

Chronic back pain can be debilitating and interfere with your ability to work or complete routine activities. According to Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, an estimated 16 million Americans suffer from chronic back pain severe enough to limit their ability to participate in everyday activities. When the impacts of chronic back pain are severe enough to prevent you from working or participating in any substantial gainful activity and are expected to last for a year or more, it might be possible to get SSDI for back pain.

Back Pain as a Qualifying Disability

Before you can get SSDI for back pain, your condition must be severe enough to meet the Social Security Administration’s disability definition. The SSA considers a condition to be a disability when it is severe enough to limit you from engaging in daily activities. A disability must be so severe that it prevents you from engaging in any substantial gainful activity, is expected to last 12 or more months, or is expected to result in death. Chronic back pain can be considered a qualifying disability if it keeps you from working and is expected to last at least a year or more, but you’ll need to present substantial evidence proving these things.

Causes of Back Pain

Back pain can result from numerous conditions. Some of the most common conditions that can cause chronic back pain include the following:

Degenerative disc disease
Osteoarthritis
Spinal stenosis
Nerve root compression
Scoliosis
Facet joint dysfunction
Herniated discs
Sciatica
Bulging discs

Work Credits Requirement

In addition to showing that your back pain is severe enough to meet the Social Security Administration’s disability definition, you must also have earned enough work credits to qualify. To earn work credits, your job must be covered by Social Security, which means you must have paid into it through withholdings from your wages or through self-employment taxes.

You earn a maximum of four work credits per year. Each credit is awarded based on the income you earn, and this changes each year. For example, in 2024, you would need to earn $1,730 in wages to receive one work credit or $6,920 to earn four.

The Social Security Administration also has a 20/40 rule under which you must have earned at least 40 work credits with 20 in the 10 years preceding your disability. However, if you are younger, you can be eligible for SSDI for back pain with fewer credits:

Under age 24 – Need six credits earned within the last three years
Age 24 to 31 – Four credits earned for at least 1/2 of the years between age 21 and when you became disabled
Age 32+ – 20 credits earned in the past 10 years (20/40 rule)

Getting Disability for Back Pain

Even if you believe your back pain qualifies for disability and you have enough work credits, getting approved for benefits is not easy. You must present substantial evidence that demonstrates your disability’s severity and its impact on your life and ability to function.

You’ll need both medical and non-medical evidence to support your claim and a substantial body of medical records, including doctors’ notes, physical examinations, imaging tests, and records demonstrating your response to treatment.

Proving your disability is severe enough to qualify for SSDI based on back pain will require you to continue seeing your doctor regularly and seeking treatment. If you fail to see your doctor, the Social Security Administration won’t believe your condition qualifies. Typically, people who are awarded SSDI for back pain submit the following types of evidence:

MRIs or CAT scans showing the extent and severity of their conditions and how they produce back pain
Evidence that conservative treatments, including corticosteroid injections, pain management, and physical therapy, have failed
Statement by your doctor that you’re a candidate for surgery
Functional capacity report from your doctor that explains how your condition limits your functional capacity and ability to perform work

Consult a Disability Lawyer

If you suffer from severe back pain that prevents you from returning to work, you might be eligible for SSDI. To learn more about your eligibility, speak to the experienced SSDI lawyers at Ellis & Associates by scheduling a free consultation. Call us today at 800-MR-ELLIS or send us a message online.

Ellis & Associates