How Benefits Have Changed in 2025
Does it feel like it’s getting harder to make a dollar go very far? That’s not surprising—experts say the cost of consumer goods has gone up nearly 25% since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Though inflation has receded some since its peak of nearly 10% in 2022, it continues to have an impact on the daily cost of living. Recognizing that, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has increased the benefits to all social security beneficiaries in 2025, including persons receiving SSDI payments. What are social security disability benefits? How do you qualify? What are the cost-of-living adjustments to SSDI for 2025?
What Is Social Security Disability Insurance?
Social security disability insurance, also known as SSDI, is a government program that provides monthly payments to persons who demonstrate that they have a covered disability (injury or illness) that either prevents them from working or limits their ability to work. Disability benefits were not a part of the original Social Security Act (1935) but became available in 1956 when Congress enacted a law amending the Social Security Act.
How Do You Qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance?
There are two general prerequisites to qualify for SSDI benefits:
- You must have worked in jobs where you paid into social security (FICA taxes); and
- You must have a medical condition that meets the agency’s definition of a “disability.”
You can’t receive SSDI benefits just because you worked a short amount of time at a job where you paid FICA taxes. To be eligible for most social security benefits, you must have earned a minimum number of “credits.” If you work for someone else, you earn one credit per quarter (every three months), provided the employer participates in social security and you have the required amount of earnings.
The number of credits you need to qualify for SSDI depends on your age at the time of disability:
- Younger than 24—You must have six credits over the three years prior to your disability.
- Between 24 and 31—You must have credits for working ½ the time between your 21st birthday and the age at which you became disabled.
- 31 to 44—You must have 20 credits in the 10 years before you became disabled.
- 44 and older—The credits and years of work gradually increase after you reach the age of 44.
You can also qualify for SSDI benefits if you are self-employed, but you must have paid self-employment taxes to earn the necessary credits.
To qualify medically for SSDI benefits, you must generally have a condition that either prevents you from working for a minimum of one year or that will result in your death.
How Are Benefits Determined in an SSDI Claim?
SSDI benefits are calculated based on your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME), which looks at your highest earning years when you were paying FICA taxes.
What Are the Cost-of-Living Adjustments to SSDI for 2025?
All Social Security recipients, including those collecting SSDI benefits, are getting a cost-of-living increase of 2.5% in 2025.
Let Bailey & Galyen Help You Get the Social Security Benefits You Need and Deserve
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we bring more than 40 years of experience to individuals and families across Texas who have an injury or illness that prevents them from working and qualifies them for social security disability benefits. We have a thorough understanding of the law and process governing SSDI benefits, and we can help you at any stage of your efforts to get the compensation you need and deserve. To learn more about how we can help you apply for and receive social security disability insurance payments, contact us by e-mail or call our offices. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
