It does not seem like the question of whether someone is disabled from working and eligible for monthly Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits should be a complex one. But the Social Security Administration (SSA) has its own definition of disability for purposes of SSDI (and Supplemental Security Income or SSI). The agency has a five-step process it utilizes to get to yes or no on the question of disability.
Definition of disability
SSA’s definition of disability is different from those used in other kinds of disability support programs like workers’ compensation, or short- or long-term disability insurance policies. For SSDI (or SSI) purposes, the definition of disability follows: