Social Security disability letter says I meet medical requirements but non-medical decision still pending - what does this mean?

This is actually good news! The medical decision is the harder part to get approved. The "non-medical requirements" typically refer to things like work credits (have you worked enough quarters to qualify), income/resource limits (mainly for SSI), and making sure there's no fraud concerns. Since you mentioned waiting 9 months, I'm guessing this is for SSDI not SSI. At this stage, they're probably just verifying your work history and earnings records to calculate your benefit amount. In my experience, once you get past the medical approval, the rest usually goes through without issues as long as you have enough work credits.

The same exact thing happened to me!!! They approved me medically but then took ANOTHER 2 months for the "non-medical" part. It was so frustrating I almost had a breakdown waiting. Nobody tells you anything and when you call they just say "it's processing" over and over. I got approved eventually but had to live on credit cards while waiting.

congrats ur basically approved! the non-medical stuff is just paperwork they gotta do. my brother got the same letter 3 months ago and got his first payment like 3 weeks after that letter came

The non-medical requirements for SSDI include: 1. Having enough work credits (generally 40 total with 20 earned in the last 10 years, though this varies by age) 2. Not engaging in Substantial Gainful Activity (earning more than $1,550/month in 2024) 3. Meeting the technical definition of disability (unable to do substantial work due to medical condition expected to last at least one year or result in death) Since they've determined you meet the medical requirements, they're now just verifying your work history and that you haven't been working above SGA levels during your application period. This is typically much faster than the medical determination, often 2-6 weeks.

DONT COUNT ON IT COMING QUICKLY!! They told me "soon" too and it took over 2 months!!! The system is BROKEN. They don't care that people are losing their homes waiting for decisions. Call them EVERY SINGLE DAY until they process it or you'll end up at the bottom of some pile.

My husband got that same letter in January and we're STILL waiting for the non-medical decision. Every time he calls they say different things. One person said it was approved waiting for payment, another said they needed more employment verification. I don't trust anything they say anymore.

To clarify some confusion in this thread: SSI and SSDI are different programs. SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is needs-based and doesn't require work credits, but has strict income and resource limits. SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) requires work credits earned through employment but doesn't have the same resource limits. For the original poster: When they approve the medical portion but are still reviewing non-medical, it typically means they're calculating your benefit amount, checking work credits, and processing the administrative details. While the actual timeframe varies, the median time at this stage is about 3-4 weeks.

When I got that letter last year, it took about 5 weeks for the final approval to come through. The back pay took another 3 weeks after that. Make sure all your contact information is up to date in the system so they can reach you if they need anything else. Also, if you haven't already, create a my Social Security account online - sometimes updates appear there before you get letters in the mail.