If you were working before becoming disabled you could be eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits. Social Security Disability (SSD), officially known as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is part of the Social Security Program which pays retirement benefits to retired people.
If you are considering filing an initial claim or an appeal for disability benefits, having an attorney can increase your chances of having your claim approved. Your odds of succeeding can be up to 3 times higher when you have an Social Security Disability Attorney handling your application or appeal.
Applying for disability benefits can be a complicated process. You will need to provide considerable medical documentation in order to prove that you meet the criteria for disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will want to not only see the medical information that shows the illness or injury, but you would also have to show how your disability impedes or prevents you from being able to work.
You will also have to provide your work history for the past 15 years. The SSA will match that against your payment records into the Social Security system. You will need to have worked enough for a period of years to receive the work credits necessary to receive SSDI benefits.
In many cases, an applicant may well fit the criteria for Social Security disability benefits but the application was missing information or documentation that would have demonstrated to the SSA that the applicant was qualified.
Your Social Security disability lawyer will contact your doctors and compile your medical reports. Your attorney can also have the medical professionals fill out questionnaires. Your attorney will gather this information in order to make the strongest possible case for your disability benefits claim.
Your SSDI lawyer can also work with you to compile your work history which is necessary to proving your eligibility for disability benefits.
In most cases, you will not receive benefits upon initially becoming disabled. The SSA needs to know that you are unable to work for at least one year. Because of this, most SSDI claims will involve back payments for the time you became disabled and unable to work, but were not receiving any income.
Unfortunately, most SSDI claims that are filed are initially denied. In many cases, the applicant actually does meet the qualifications for disability benefits but was turned down by the SSA because of missing or incomplete information. This amounts to roughly two-thirds of claims that are denied by the SSA. If you appeal the denial of your disability benefits claim, you have a better chance of success at about 50%.
If your initial application for SSDI benefits was turned down, your Social Security Disability Lawyer can make sure that any information missing from your initial claim is included. Your attorney will not only compile your medical records, but will make the case on appeal for how and why your disability prevents you from working.
Disability attorneys operate on a contingency fee, meaning that you only pay them if your case is successful. The attorney fee will be deducted from your award so you will never pay out of pocket.
There is also no charge for a consultation with a disability attorney so you have nothing to lose if you think you might be eligible for benefits, but not totally sure.