Disability requirements are set by the State of Minnesota.
Minnesotans recognizes people who meet criteria from a series of test as having a disability. In general, the presence of a physical or mental health condition alone is not sufficient. The conditions or combination of conditions must be so severe the person is not employable according the standards set by the State of Minnesota.
Severity
The Social Security Administration in Minnesota requires the person's physical or mental health condition to be so severe as to prohibit the person from substantial gainful employment for the length of one year or more. The severity can result from a single condition or from a combination of conditions that culminates in the prohibition of work. People who are able to continue to work may still qualify for a disability designation if the condition, or combination of conditions, is expected to result in death.
Employability
Minnesota recognizes the federal definition of substantial gainful activity. Participating in substantial activity does not refer to part-time versus full-time. For 2010 and 2011, earning at least $1,000 each month is considered substantial activity. Gainful activity refers to work performed for pay or profit, even if no profit was realized.
The lack of a suitable job opportunity does not justify a disability designation. The justification is based on the citizen's employability. The employability standard considers if the person is able to perform any job in the United States rather than restricting the list of suitable jobs to the state boundaries.
Automatic Disability Determination
A limited number of conditions allow the State of Minnesota to designate automatically a person as having a disability. Minnesota recognizes these conditions as having pervasive impacts on the person's life and typically meets the specified criteria without having to launch a determination investigation. For example, the list contains chronic cardiovascular disease, cancer of a major organ, organic mental disorders and limitations of the musculoskeletal system. Minnesota still requires the claimant to provide medical documentation of a condition on the list of automatically accepted conditions.
Other Considerations
In addition to the person's medical condition, Minnesota considers a person's age, abilities, training and past work experiences. Considering training, past experience and abilities helps the state determine what employment options may be available to the person, which would exclude the person from a disability status. Age influences the determination because adults must meet the substantial gainful employment test but children must meet a severe functional limitation test.
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