Social Security Disability In Philadelphia

When a sudden accident or illness strikes, the first thoughts for many people question how they are going to provide for their family if they are unable to work. Most people think they will be able to work until they retire, and then take their pension or use their retirement savings to live on. Unfortunately, many people never get the chance to work until they retire and instead become disabled by an unexpected event.

Planning for taking care of yourself and your family involves saving a little money out of each paycheck, paying into retirement funds, and buying life insurance. However, most people do not have short or long-term disability insurance, and the majority of employers do not provide such coverage as they do for health care. This leaves a major gap for people who are no longer able to work, but still need support for themselves and their families.

Young people and workers in good health never expect to become disabled; however, any sudden accident or illness can quickly take them out of the workplace, leaving them without any time to prepare for losing a paycheck. However, the Social Security program does not only provide for people when they reach retirement age. Social Security Disability provides financial benefits for individuals who become disabled before they turn 67 years old.

Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for administering the Social Security program. If individuals are not able to work and they meet certain medical requirements, they may be eligible for benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). According to the SSA, 1 out of 4 people who are 20-years-old today will become disabled before they reach age 67. Currently, there are almost 10 million people receiving disability benefits.

In order to qualify for SSDI benefits, individuals have to earn Social Security credits through paying into the system during the time they are working. This generally requires about 10 years of active work to qualify for these benefits.

An individual qualifies for disability if they are no longer able to work for a year or more, or if they suffer from a disability that will lead to death. The SSA provides for certain medical conditions that automatically meet the definition of a “disability” under the program.

Once an individual applies for SSDI benefits and they are approved, they will begin receiving monthly payments to replace the loss of income. They may be able to receive benefits until they are able to work again or they are no longer considered disabled. In order to incentivise returning to work, if possible, some may qualify for work incentives to allow them to get back into the workplace without losing all their benefits.

Denial of a Social Security Disability Claim

When an individual becomes disabled and no longer able to work, they want to be able to claim their rightful disability benefits in order to help care for themselves, pay the rent, put food on the table, and care for their families. Unfortunately, too many disabled workers find out their claim was denied and have nowhere else to turn.

There are a number of reasons why your claim may be denied. There may be a clerical error that results in the claim getting rejected. There may not have been enough information in the application to find the applicant disabled. In some cases, the individual reviewing the appeal may not have fully understood the ailment or how it makes the applicant unable to work.

Fortunately, there is an appeals process if your disability claim gets denied. Unfortunately, many people never take advantage of the appeals process because they simply give up, unable to work and unable to earn a living. Others simply refile their same paperwork, expecting the same application to work the second time around.

Before you file a disability appeal, you may want to consider talking to an experienced Philadelphia Social Security Disability attorney about your case. They will be able to review your case, identify possible reasons why your claim was rejected, supplement your case with additional information and records, and work to get your claim approved.

Philadelphia Social Security Disability Attorney

Do not give up hope if you were denied a disability claim by the Social Security Administration. A Social Security disability lawyer can fight for you to get your claim approved. If you are injured or disabled, the Social Security program is supposed to provide you benefits. Your personal Social Security disability attorney will help guide you through the claims process and advise you of your options. Call Gilman & Bedigian today at (800) 529-6162 for a free consultation so you can get the compensation you deserve.