Who Is Eligible

• Individuals who reside in Mississippi and are eligible for Social Security disability benefits are: totally disabled persons under the age of 65, disabled children under the age of 22 that are dependents of a deceased individual who paid Social Security tax or have a parent who is entitled to disability or retirement benefits, a disabled widow or widower who is aged 50 to 60.
  
  

Eligibility Requirements for Disabled Workers

• For a person to be considered totally disabled, he must have a physical or medical disorder that prevents him from performing any gainful activity. The disorder must have lasted for a minimum of a year, be expected to last for at least a year, or result in death.
  
  

Eligibility Requirements For Children

• To determine a child's eligibility, the state of Mississippi looks at the child's work activity, if available; the severity of the child's impairment; and whether the impairment severely limits the child's functions.
  
  

Disability Payments

• Social Security disability benefits for workers and widows normally do not start in the state of Mississippi until five months after the onset of the disability. This waiting period does not apply to children of workers.
  
  

Exceptions

• If an applicant is found to be presumptively disabled, he may receive cash payments for six months before a formal disability decision is made. The payments are designed to help him meet his basic living expenses during the application process.