The Disability Requirements for Medicare

Medicare is a federally administered health insurance program for those who are disabled and the elderly. Those who are eligible due to disability often times have different rules and restrictions apply to them. The requirements for enrollment are somewhat different as well.

Social Security Requirement

• In order to receive Medicare, you must receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). In order to receive SSDI, you must be deemed unable to work due to a medical condition that will last a for more than a year or are terminal.

Work Requirements for SSDI

• If you are under 24, then you need one and one half years of work history within the past three years. If you are 24-31, you must have worked 50 percent of the time between the age of 21 and when you became disabled. If you are 31 or older, you need five years of work in the past 10 years. Your work must have ended in the last quarter before your disability began.

SSDI Application Requirements

• When you apply, Social Security requires identification documents and documents verifying your work history. They also need the contact information of doctors and medical records that prove the disability.

Time Requirements

• Those who are disabled are not automatically qualified for Medicare once they receive SSDI. You must receive SSDI benefits for at least 24 months before Medicare benefits will begin.

Enrollment Requirements

• Those on SSDI are automatically enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. Three months before their 24th month on SSDI, they receive a packet that includes their Medicare card. They may begin using their Medicare benefits in the 24th month.