Typically it is easier for an older individual to win benefits but it is very possible to win a disability case if you are in your twenties and thirties. There are several factors that affect the decision including your past level of education, past job history, physical capabilities and the severity of your condition.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) will review your entire record and look for evidence of the severity of your case as well as what your specific physical or mental limitations are. It is possible that your condition is severe enough to meet a Listing of Impairment which will automatically entitle you to benefits. The Listings of Impairments are a group of listed impairments that are considered severe enough to prevent an individual from working. The Listings are broken up into major body systems and are very specific. If an individual in their twenties and thirties meets or medically equals a listing, then they will be entitled to benefits.
A younger individual may also qualify if SSA finds that his/her condition(s) prevent that individual from doing any type of work at all. If this is the case, then a younger individual usually has a higher burden of showing a substantial history of medical treatment to prove up the case. In any event, although individuals much older are looked at more favorably and it is somewhat simpler for them to qualify, individuals in their 20s and 30s do qualify for benefits every day.
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