Suffering a serious illness or injury certainly comes with immediate challenges. People facing these conditions need to take steps to stabilize their health and to deal with their current financial needs. However, in many cases, an illness or injury could be so severe that it will never fully heal. In addition, some of these conditions will prevent a person from ever working a full-time job again.
If you or a loved one are currently suffering from such a condition, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). SSDI benefits can provide monthly payments to people who have worked in the past, but because of a medical condition, can no longer perform any job. Even so, obtaining these benefits is a long and difficult process.
A Fort Worth SSDI lawyer may be able to assist. They could work to explain the medical and work history requirements for these benefits. If you have never submitted an application before, they could help to gather the documentation needed to give you the best chance for success. If you have already received a denial, an experienced personal injury lawyer could also help to pursue an appeal to keep your case moving forward.
What is a Disability under Social Security Law?
One major requirement to receive SSDI benefits is to be disabled under the letter of the law. This means that the condition is so severe that it prevents a person from performing any full-time job. It does not matter if a condition leaves a person unable to perform their old, higher-paying job if they can still perform a different job at minimum wage they are not disabled.
In more specific terms, a person is disabled if they have a condition that does not allow them to work more than 30 hours a week. Additionally, this condition must have lasted, or be expected to last at least 12 months.
These conditions could be physical, mental, or a combination of both. It is not uncommon for successful SSDI claims to obtain benefits based solely on mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD. An SSDI attorney in Fort Worth could help people to gather the medical evidence of their conditions and to demonstrate that these conditions result in them being left unable to work.
For a free legal consultation, call (817) 775-5364
The Work Credit Requirement
On common mistake that many applicants for SSDI make is to confuse this program with Social Security Income, or SSI. SSDI is a program that receives its funding from taxes paid out of workers’ earnings. As a result, any person who has ever held a job has paid taxes into the SSDI program. By contrast, there is no work requirement for SSI benefits. A disability lawyer could help to explain the differences between these two programs.
As a person works, they accumulate work credits. These credits determine whether a person has enough work under their belt in order to qualify for SSDI. In general, a worker needs to have accumulated 40 credits and earned 20 of those over the past ten years. A worker earns a credit for every quarter of a year under which they have a full-time job. For other people who are too young to have such a work history, the credit requirements do change. A full description of the work credit requirements is found here. A knowledgeable Fort Worth social security disability attorney could help to determine whether an applicant meets the work experience requirement to receive SSDI benefits.
Fort Worth Social Security Disability Lawyer Near Me (817) 775-5364
Call a Fort Worth SSDI Attorney Now
Working hard over the years earns you credits towards disability insurance. If you now suffer from a medical condition that prevents you from doing any full-time job, and that condition is expected to last at least 12 months, you may qualify for SSDI benefits.
Unfortunately, obtaining these benefits is notoriously difficult. Social Security’s workers do not approve many claims on first look, and many people need to pursue a lengthy appeal process to obtain payments. A Fort Worth SSDI lawyer may be able to help you.
A disability attorney could help with the voluminous paperwork, to gather medical records, to submit clear and convincing applications, and even to present your case before an Administrative Law Judge. Contact our office today to learn more.
Call (817) 775-5364 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
