SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY
The Social Security Administration offers financial assistance to senior citizens, disabled workers, and survivors. Established during the Great Depression, this federal insurance program uses payroll taxes to provide benefits to eligible individuals. In 2019, the program served more than 69 million people.
Many people think of Social Security as a retirement program, but it also provides income protections for workers who become disabled before reaching retirement age. Social Security Disability Insurance serves individuals who have worked and paid Social Security taxes but cannot work for a year or more. Benefits can continue until individuals can work again regularly.
General requirements to apply for SSDI include a medical condition that significantly limits your ability to do necessary work-related activities, with a list of specific impairments considered severe enough to keep people from working regularly. Some conditions qualify for compassionate allowances, such as ALS or pancreatic cancer.
The eligibility process includes reviewing the type of work you’ve done in the past and how your medical condition impacts that work. The criteria consist of reviewing medical conditions, age, education, transferable work skills, and past work experience.
The average age of a disabled worker was 54.9 in 2019. About 12% of new Social Security benefits awarded in 2019 went to disabled workers, with approximately 680,000 recipients, with an average monthly payment of $1,234. SSDI benefits are based on average lifetime earnings before you became disabled.
But the process for accessing this benefit can be confusing and drawn out. A recent media report found 63.4% of disability applicants are initially denied benefits. It can take an average of 200 days to get your initial decision, while the average wait time for an appeal can stretch to almost a year.
Having an experienced SSDI attorney fighting for you can increase your success in the application and appeal process. Attorney Philip D. Burnett has more than 25 years of experience helping disabled workers get the benefits they have earned. He understands the application and appeal process and knows the documentation needed to speed your claim to a resolution.
Contact Burnett Law in Crossville to speak with Mr. Burnett about your case. If you have already filed for benefits, you face strict time limits to file your appeal. Mr. Burnett can help you get the SSDI benefits you need to care for yourself and your family.
Sources:
https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityfacts/facts.html
https://www.wtoc.com/2021/02/08/data-shows-backlog-long-wait-social-security-disability-hearings/