You can get disability if you are unemployed in Chicago. You’ll need to prove that your disability prevents you from working and meet other eligibility requirements. Depending on how long you’ve been out of work, unemployment could affect your eligibility for SSDI benefits, for example, by leaving you with insufficient work credits. Below, you’ll learn more about how unemployment could impact your eligibility for disability benefits and your available options.
If you have concerns or require assistance related to disability benefits, contact the Chicago Social Security disability lawyers at Ankin Law by dialing 872-529-9377 for a free consultation.
How Unemployment Affects Your Eligibility for Disability Benefits
According to the National Women’s Law Center, more than 1 in 9 people in Chicago and the rest of Illinois are disabled. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate for people with a disability to be 7.5% in 2024. This was twice the unemployment rate of those without disability.
Social Security provides disability benefits through two types of programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Whether you’re unemployed, employed part-time, or self-employed, these benefits can provide valuable financial protection when you’re unable to work because of a disability. However, unemployment can affect your eligibility for disability benefits in several ways.
Insufficient Total Work Credits
SSDI generally pays more than SSI. Meeting the work requirements for SSDI benefits requires an accumulation of a specific number of total work credits, depending on your age when you become disabled. If you’ve never been employed or haven’t been employed in a long time, you may be ineligible for SSDI benefits because you lack a sufficient number of work credits.
You earn work credits through employment and payment of Social Security taxes. Work credits are calculated from your total wages or self-employment income. You can earn a maximum of four credits in a year, equivalent to one work credit per quarter of the year. The amount of earnings required to earn one work credit changes annually. In 2025, you earn one work credit for each $1,810 of wages or income from self-employment you get in each calendar quarter. You’ll gain the maximum four credits allowed per year when you earn $7,240.
You generally need a total of 40 work credits to be eligible for SSDI benefits. However, younger workers may qualify for disability benefits with fewer credits. You may get disability if you are unemployed if you’ve accumulated enough work credits. Complications may arise if you’ve been unemployed for a significant period and try getting disability benefits, since you may not have a sufficient number of work credits, even with proof of having a severe disability. Similarly, you may be ineligible for SSDI benefits if you’ve never been employed.
Insufficient Recently Earned Credits
You must have worked long enough, as well as recently enough, to be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) typically requires a minimum of 40 credits to qualify for disability, with 20 of them being earned within the last 10 years before the onset of your disability. Twenty credits is the equivalent of around five years of work. If you’ve worked in any five of the last 10 years, you may have enough recent work credits to qualify for SSDI benefits. Workers who’ve been employed and worked intermittently and earned an income within the last few years may be eligible for SSDI benefits.
Workers aged 31 or older who become disabled after being unemployed for more than five years won’t have sufficient recent work credits on their Social Security record to qualify for SSDI benefits. Younger workers may qualify for benefits with fewer recently earned credits. For example, workers who become disabled before the age of 24 may be eligible for benefits if they’ve acquired six work credits within the three years before their disability began.
Expiry of SSDI Coverage
SSDI operates as a form of federal disability insurance program. This is contrary to popular belief that the money you pay in FICA and self-employment taxes goes into some type of savings account that you can use later if you need it for disability benefits. The money you pay in the form of taxes to the SSA serves as a form of premium for disability insurance coverage. Therefore, you retain SSDI coverage as long as you continue working and paying into the system through self-employment or FICA taxes.
Unemployment can eventually cause SSDI coverage to expire as premium payments in the form of taxes stop. The date SSDI coverage stops is known as the date last insured (DLI). It is the last date you’re eligible to receive SSDI benefits. The date last insured for most people is five years after they stop working. The date becomes irrelevant once you start receiving SSDI benefits.
Your DLI is among the first things Social Security considers when evaluating your SSDI claim. If you apply for disability after your DLI has passed, you’ll need to prove that you became disabled before the DLI to qualify for benefits. This can be a lengthy process that may require making several appeals. So how many times can you get denied for disability, necessitating filing an appeal? The appeals process that follows the denial of the initial disability application has four levels. That means you can be denied disability benefits a total of five times.
Finding the medical evidence to show that the onset date of your disability was before the DLI can be challenging. The further back your DLI is, the harder it will be to prove the onset of your disability and qualify for SSDI.
SSI Eligibility for the Unemployed
If you’re disabled and can’t qualify for SSDI benefits because you don’t have the required work credits or can’t establish that the onset date of your disability was before the DLI, you may still be eligible for SSI benefits. The SSI program is needs-based and doesn’t rely on your work history. SSI doesn’t have a DLI, so your coverage doesn’t expire. Nevertheless, it’s advisable not to delay filing for SSI benefits to avoid losing some back pay you may have been entitled to receive. Social Security disability lawyers help claimants receive all the back payments they’re owed.
Understanding the Requirements for Social Security Disability
Besides the work credits requirement (for SSDI benefits), there are several conditions you must meet to qualify for disability benefits.
Qualifying Disability
The SSA considers you to have a qualifying disability if you meet the following conditions:
Unable to Do Previous or Other Type of Work
Your medical condition should prevent you from doing your past work. You should also be unable to adjust to another field of work.
Your Condition Is Long-Term
Your injury or disability should have lasted or is projected to last for at least 12 consecutive months, or result in death.
Can’t Earn SGA
If you continue to work and wish to qualify for SSDI benefits, your condition should prevent you from working at the substantial gainful activity (SGA) level. SGA in 2025 is $1,620 per month ($2,700 per month for blind individuals).
When applying for SSDI benefits, you’ll need to provide information about your medical condition, treatments, education, and work history. You can apply at the local Chicago SSA office or by calling SSA’s toll-free number. If these options aren’t convenient for you, you’ll probably want to know, “Can you apply for SSDI online?” Fortunately, you can easily file a Social Security Disability claim on the SSA’s website.
Financial Criteria
To be eligible for SSI, you’ll also need to meet the program’s stringent financial eligibility requirements. SSI takes your possessions and other income into account.
The value of your countable resources must not exceed $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples to qualify for SSI benefits. Examples of countable resources include cash, bank accounts, stocks, mutual funds, vehicles, personal property, and any other belongings you can convert to cash and use for food or shelter. The SSA doesn’t count certain assets for SSI. These include:
- Your primary residence
- One vehicle
- Household goods and personal effects
- Life insurance policies with a total face value of $1,500 or less
- Grants, scholarships, and gifts for educational expenses
- Burial spaces for you or your immediate family
When to Consult a Disability Lawyer in Chicago
There are several situations where you may want to consult a Chicago disability attorney.
Determining If You Qualify
Figuring out whether you qualify for disability benefits based on your work history and credits can be challenging. A Social Security disability lawyer will know all aspects of SSA rules and regulations governing eligibility. The lawyer will evaluate the details of your claim and help determine your eligibility for both disability programs. He or she can answer all your questions and advise you on the next steps to take.
Help With Application
If you need help filing a disability claim in Illinois, you should enlist the assistance of a local disability lawyer. How can a Chicago disability lawyer help you get benefits? A Social Security disability lawyer knows how to present your disability and case clearly and compellingly.
A Chicago lawyer will help you secure the necessary paperwork and medical documentation from the hospitals and doctors who treated you. The lawyer will also help you fill out all the paperwork and answer all the questions accurately and comprehensively. Having the right medical documentation and paperwork and filling out your claim forms correctly may help speed up the disability determination process and improve your chances of success.
Your Claim Is Denied
If your initial claim is denied, it’s important to consult a Social Security disability attorney to help with the appeals process. Research shows that having an attorney during the appeals process significantly increases your chances of winning benefits.
Your disability lawyer will collect and organize missing or additional documentation and evidence that will help get your claim approved. He or she will prepare you for questioning during your disability hearing to ensure you’re able to respond promptly, correctly, and in a manner that shows how your disability affects your daily life and ability to work. Besides preparing you for the hearing, your lawyer will represent you, present your case, and cross-examine witnesses.
If you’re preparing to apply for benefits, have recently received a denial, or have any other concerns related to SSDI or SSI, the Chicago Social Security disability lawyers at Ankin Law can help. We offer free case consultations and evaluations and can provide legal advice on your claim as well as guidance and support through the entire disability claim process. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation.
