Types of Disability Services
Funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA), Disability Determination Services (DDS) works with you to assess your situation and figure out your eligibility for the following benefit programs:
- Social Security Disability (SSDI)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
The main difference between each program is who is eligible.
Am I eligible for SSDI or SSI benefits?
You are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) if you:
- are between the age of 18-65 with a disability,
- employed,
- have earned the required amount of hourly-based work credits, and
- have Social Security coverage
You are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if you:
- are 65 or older or have a disability,
- unemployed, or
- are employed but have not earned a required amount of hourly-based work-credits
To learn more about your eligibility for SSDI and SSI, visit ssa.gov/benefits/disablity. You can also determine your eligibility for SSDI and SSI (as well as other programs) by using SSA’s Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST). Get started at ssabestbenefits.gov
How do I apply for disability benefits?
To learn more about or apply for Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Social Security Income (SSI) services, visit ssa.org or contact your local Social Security Administration (SSA) Office.
For an update on the status of your application, you can reach out to your Vocational Disability Examiner. Their contact information is listed in your Introductory Claimant Letter.
If you think you are eligible for SSDI or SSI and would like to file an eligibility claim, please call 1-800-772-1213 or click on the “File a Claim” link below.
You can speed up your benefits determination by making sure to submit all the information required, including:
- Your social security number
- Medical records from your physician, therapist, hospital, clinic, and/or caseworker.
- Contact information for the above (address, phone number, and fax number)
- List of all medications you are taking
- Names of your employers/job titles for the last 15 years
What is MassAbility’s role in determining disability benefits?
MassAbility Disability Determination Services (DDS) helps you figure out if you are eligible for Social Security Disability (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
When you submit a claim, DDS handles:
- Your initial application
- Your appeal—if your benefits are denied
DDS also conducts:
- Periodic Disability Reviews to decide if you should continue to receive benefits.
- Disability Hearings. These are in-person hearings that take place if DDS decides that you should stop receiving benefits.
*DDS makes special outreach efforts to claimants without a home or who have HIV.
To help evaluate benefit claims as quickly as possible, DDS uses over:
- 70 in-house medical and mental-health professionals
- 300 medical and mental-health consultants from across the state
To learn more about the disability claims process, you can call either of our 2 DDS state offices.
DDS Office Boston
617-727-1600
1-800-882-2040 (Boston toll-free)
DDS Office Worcester
508-752-5001
1-800-551-5532 (Worcester toll-free)
If you would like to file an initial claim with SSA, please call:
1-800-772-1213
(TTY) 1-800-325-0778
Special Initiatives at DDS
| Health Information Technology (HIT) Health Information Technology (HIT) stores and manages your health and medical records in a secure manner. Disability Determination Services (DDS) uses HIT to collect, evaluate and share information with multiple parties, and make decisions faster. | Quick Disability Determination (QDD) Quick Disability Determination (QQD) is a computer-based system that screens claims applications and identifies cases which will take a short amount of time to be determined. By separating these types of cases from more time-consuming ones, QDD speeds up eligibility decisions for all applicants.
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| Compassionate Allowances (CAL) Created by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Compassionate Allowances (CAL) initiative speeds up disability claim decisions for individuals who have certain health and medical conditions, including cancers and adult brain disorders. | Military Casualty/Wounded Warrior (MC/WW) The Military Casualty/Wounded Warrior (MC/WW) Program helps speed up disability claims filed by military veterans. To be eligible for MC/WW, veterans must: be injured on or after October 1, 2001, and on active duty at time of the injury.
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