You may have heard how complicated and difficult it is to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Even the names of the disability benefit programs, Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), look and sound similar enough to add to the confusion. In fact, only one-third of the applications for disability benefits submitted to the Social Security Administration (SSA) are approved during the initial determination process.
The knowledge and skill of an experienced disability benefits lawyer helps you get through the process by ensuring that your initial application avoids mistakes that cause delays or result in a denial of benefits. At Disability Partners, PLLC, we are committed to getting you all the benefits that you are entitled to receive either through the initial determination or through the disability appeal process. We do not stop fighting until you get the benefits that you deserve.
The SSDI and SSI programs use the same criteria to determine whether an adult is disabled and eligible for disability benefits. You must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to last for at least one year or result in death.
Impairments that are severe enough to satisfy the disability criteria include the following:
Our Social Security Disability (SSD) lawyer uses your medical records and doctor’s statements to prove that you have a disability that meets the SSA criteria.
If you meet the medical criteria to qualify for disability benefits, our experienced and accomplished SSI lawyer must prove that you also meet the non-medical requirements for SSI or SSDI. The SSI program is need-based, so you must not have income or resources that exceed strict limits. You do not, however, need to have a work history to qualify for SSI as you do for the SSDI program.
To determine if you qualify for disability benefits through SSDI, our SSDI lawyer reviews your work and earnings record. You must have worked for a long enough duration at jobs or through self-employment and paid Social Security taxes on the income to qualify for SSDI. If you qualify, your monthly benefit payments will be based on your lifetime earnings record.
If you were denied benefits after filing an application with the SSA, do not give up. A Disability Partners, PLLC, SSD lawyer will fight for your rights through the disability appeal process.
The appeal process starts with a request for reconsideration of your application by an examiner who was not involved in the original review of your application. Your disability lawyer can submit additional medical evidence in support of the claim.
If reconsideration does not result in approval of the claim, then we continue to a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge where witnesses and evidence in support of the claim are presented by your disability benefits lawyer. The appeal process can continue through an Appeals Council review and to the Federal Court to get you the benefits you are entitled to receive.
Learn more about what an experienced disability benefits lawyer can do to improve your chance of receiving Social Security disability benefits. Contact Disability Partners, PLLC, to schedule a free consultation and claim review.