Life changing events can blindside you in the blink of an eye and turn your whole world upside down. Life can often be unfair. We’re all just stumbling down our own paths trying to make the best of the hand we were dealt. There are those who are born with physical or mental defects, and those who lose their limbs or are diagnosed with a threatening illness later in life; these things are out of our control and drastically affect our quality of life. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI or sometimes even SSD) is a program available to help U.S. citizens, and their family members, who become disabled before they are able to retire. You will find important information regarding the Social Security program and why you might want to hire SSDI lawyers, detailed below.
To be eligible for SSDI benefits you must fulfill certain medical and work-based requirements. Depending on the age you became disabled, you’ll have to have obtained a certain number of work credits in order to qualify. Exceptions can be made for those who are blind or disabled from birth. Work credits are earned through paying Social Security taxes (FICA) from your paychecks. You can earn a maximum of 4 credits per year, one credit for each quarter. After 2 years of receiving SSDI benefits a person becomes eligible for Medicare. If you haven’t earned enough or worked long enough to qualify for SSDI, then SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is also available. SSI has no previous work requirement, but it’s a needs-based program so applicants must be able to demonstrate their low income and asset values.
Filing for SSDI is an overwhelming and time-consuming process which can stretch over the span of many months. The initial denial rates are staggeringly high with 70% of first-time applications being rejected. Once rejected, you have 60 days to appeal by having another claims examiner look over your case. If you are denied again, you can then request a hearing with an administrative judge from the SSA. Having SSDI lawyers represent you throughout all of this can thoroughly speed up the process which is extremely important if you are without an income during this whole ordeal. These SSDI lawyers will know better than anyone on how to get you the benefits which you are entitled to. Auxiliary benefits are also available to SSDI insured disabled persons in order to help them sufficiently provide for their dependents.
It’s important to understand that everything about the SSDI application process takes an enormous amount of time. Even if you are approved right away (this is extremely unlikely on the first application) you won’t receive benefit payments until you have been disabled for a complete 5 months. Therefore, it’s paramount to your success that you do as much research as possible and provide all the evidence you can so you can quickly get through the process. There are many qualified SSDI lawyers, like the ones found at website who specialize in this field and can help ease your stress by representing you to the best of their ability. Most of these lawyers don’t require payment unless they win your case, so they’re definitely worth your consideration. You can also visit their Twitter profile for more information.
