If a medical condition has made it difficult or impossible to keep working, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) may provide monthly benefits. Getting approved can depend on much more than having a diagnosis. Social Security looks at your medical evidence, work history, current earnings, and what you can still do despite your condition.
Bruce Weider, PC helps people in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw County pursue Social Security disability benefits. Bruce has more than 30 years of experience handling disability claims, including initial applications, denied SSDI claims, appeals, and disability hearings.
If you are preparing to apply or Social Security has already denied your claim, our Ypsilanti office is nearby and available to help Ann Arbor residents understand what comes next.
Who Qualifies for Social Security Disability in Ann Arbor?
SSDI is a federal program, so the basic eligibility rules are the same for applicants in Ann Arbor as they are elsewhere in Michigan. To qualify, you generally need sufficient work history under Social Security and a medical condition that meets SSA's definition of disability.
Your condition must prevent you from performing substantial gainful activity and must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months or result in death. You also need enough recent work credits, although the number required can depend on your age when your disability began. If you're trying to determine whether your medical condition and work history may meet these requirements, read our guide to what qualifies you for disability in Michigan.
Do You Need a Diagnosis to Get SSDI Benefits?
Social Security needs objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source to establish that you have a medically determinable impairment. A diagnosis by itself does not answer the entire disability question.
SSA also evaluates how your condition affects your ability to perform work-related activities. Depending on the condition, that could include problems with standing, walking, lifting, using your hands, concentrating, remembering instructions, interacting with others, or maintaining a regular work schedule.
If your medical situation is still developing, our article on whether you can get disability without a diagnosis explains this issue in more detail.
Why Was My Social Security Disability Claim Denied?
A denial does not always mean Social Security disputes that you have a medical condition. The disagreement may be about how severely the condition limits your ability to work.
SSA may determine that you can still perform your previous work. If you cannot, Social Security may consider whether you could adjust to other work based on your remaining abilities, age, education, and work experience. Other issues can include insufficient medical evidence, gaps in the records, a condition that does not meet Social Security's duration requirement, or earnings that SSA considers substantial gainful activity.
If you are continuing to work or considering returning to work while pursuing benefits, see how much you can earn and still get SSDI in 2026.
What Happens After an SSDI Denial in Michigan?
Social Security provides multiple levels of appeal. A claim may proceed through reconsideration, a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, Appeals Council review, and, in some cases, federal court.
Appeal deadlines matter. A request for reconsideration generally must be filed within 60 days after you receive the initial decision. If reconsideration is denied, a request for an ALJ hearing generally must also be submitted within 60 days after receiving that decision.
An appeal also gives you an opportunity to address weaknesses in the evidence supporting your claim. New treatment, testing, changes in symptoms, and updated information about your limitations may need to become part of the record. Read more about whether you need new medical evidence to win a Social Security disability appeal.
How Does Social Security Decide Whether You Can Still Work?
Social Security considers what you can still do physically and mentally despite your medical conditions. This is known as your residual functional capacity, or RFC.
SSA may consider your ability to sit, stand, walk, lift, carry, use your hands, follow instructions, concentrate, interact with other people, and perform other work-related activities. Being unable to return to your old job does not automatically result in SSDI approval. If Social Security determines you cannot perform your past relevant work, it may consider whether you can adjust to other work. That is why some applicants are denied based on the conclusion that they could perform a less physically demanding or “sit-down” job.
Does My Spouse's Income Affect My SSDI Benefits?
For SSDI based on your own work record, your spouse's wages generally do not determine whether you meet the program's work-history and disability requirements. This differs from Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is a needs-based program and can take household financial circumstances into account.
If this is a concern in your household, read our guide explaining whether your spouse's income affects disability benefits.
How Bruce Weider, PC Helps Ann Arbor Disability Claimants
Applying for disability involves more than submitting a diagnosis to Social Security. The claim needs to show how your medical conditions affect your ability to work under SSA's rules.
Bruce Weider, PC can help review your medical and work history, identify evidence relevant to your limitations, respond to a disability denial, and prepare your case for an Administrative Law Judge hearing when necessary. Bruce has spent more than 30 years helping people pursue disability benefits. With an office in nearby Ypsilanti, our firm represents Social Security disability claimants from Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and surrounding Southeast Michigan communities.
Talk With an Ann Arbor Social Security Disability Lawyer
If you are unable to work because of a physical or mental condition, or your SSDI application has already been denied, contact Bruce Weider, PC to discuss your claim. We can review where you are in the Social Security disability process, what issues may be affecting your claim, and what needs to be addressed next.
Request a free consultation with Bruce Weider, PC about your Social Security Disability claim or appeal.
