SSA Redbook

The Social Security Administration offers a reference tool referred to as the Red Book to help provide information primarily to educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve persons with disabilities. The Red Book has more technical information for very specific users and is generally not helpful to the general population who is instead provided with more general information in other SSA resource material such as the SSA self-help guide and the SSA website.

According to the SSA, their highest priority is to support the efforts of disabled beneficiaries who want to work by developing policies and services to help them reach their employment goal. With this in mind, the Red Book provides general information about a variety of disability-related policies. The most recent copy of the SSA Red Book can be located on their website.

The SSA Redbook should not be confused with the SSA Bluebook which contains information about conditions which the SSA considers automatically disabling. Claimants can review the Bluebook and determine if the condition they have meets or exceeds the listing for a condition. Claimants whose condition meets or exceeds a listing should be automatically approved, assuming they meet the nonmedical requirements for SSDI or SSI benefits.

What information is in the SSA Redbook?

Information contained within the SSA Redbook include how the SSA defines disability, what they consider substantial gainful activity or SGA work, how they evaluate SGA activity, an overview of all of the disability programs offered by the SSA, whether a claimant can receive both SSDI and SSI, a comparison of the SSA disability programs, information about returning to work, and information about different resources which can help workers return to work.