SSDI Benefits: What do I Need to Qualify?

Sometimes, people go through difficult times in their lives due to injury or mental health issues. Often, these struggles and challenges can prevent them from being able to hold a consistent job or do their job properly. When you cannot hold a job or do your job effectively, one option might be receiving social security disability benefits.

Social Security Disability Insurance was established in 1956, with over 150,000 workers enrolling in the first year. The majority of workers who enrolled in the first year were over the age of 50 years. As time passed, more and more people enrolled, including women and younger workers. They had over one million workers enrolled by 1966 and it nearly tripled to 2,8 million by 1977. This number once again tripled by 2012 to 9 million. SSDI is a government program funded by payroll taxes for people who can no longer work because of an injury that is expected to affect them for at least one year or is expected to result in death.

Being approved for social security disability is by no means an easy task. This is why it’s generally advisable to have a State College Social Security Disability Lawyers lawyer to assist with gaining approval of benefits. The average monthly payout for a person on social security disability in 2011 was $1111 monthly. It’s advisable to look into State College Social Security Disability Attorneys in your area, should you find yourself in this stressful situation.

How do you know if you qualify for SSDI payments? There are generally two criteria that must be met to gain approval for monthly benefits. The first is having a medical condition that meets the guidelines for approval by SSDI. This may include physical or mental health conditions.

The second criterion involves your past work history. You have to have held a job or a number of jobs where you paid into Social Security Disability Insurance. Your expected monthly payment is based on how much you’ve contributed to the fund from your total time worked. There is a table called a Duration of Worktable that tells you what you can expect to be approved for should you gain approval for social security disability benefits. Your State College Social Security Disability Lawyer can tell you more about this.

The Social Security Administration has a fairly narrow definition of what qualifies for being disabled. Short-term, non-permanent disability will not be considered. They are only concerned with a permanent disability that will only stay the same or get worse, eventually leading to death. They are most concerned about people who have held jobs in the past in which they are no longer physically or mentally able to perform.

The Social Security Administration reviews the applicant’s initial application to see if it meets their basic requirements, then they send it to the applicant’s state Disability Determination Services office. That office then investigates and determines whether there is enough medical evidence to support the disability claim. They will consider evidence and findings from doctors, hospitals, clinics, or institutions that answer the questions about the applicant’s medical history, tests, treatments, and ability to do work-related activities. These may include standing, walking, sitting, lifting, and remembering written or verbal instructions.

After reviewing the evidence, the state agency then decides if the applicant qualifies. If your claim is approved, you will be notified by letter, which will show the number of benefits and when the payments will start. If they are denied, the letter will explain why and tell them how to appeal the decision. 62 percent of first-time applicants are denied.
It’s important to have good legal representation should this occur. Engle Kauffman and VanHorn is a great example of a reputable social security disability law office. Having a State College Social Security Disability Attorney can help you navigate the often-difficult waters of gaining approval. Finding a good and reputable PA disability attorney can relieve you of the stress of knowing how you will get by financially in the future.

If you find yourself in this stressful situation, do some research. If you’re in Pennsylvania, check online and search for, “disability attorney PA”. It’s well worth doing the research and hiring someone helpful to gain SSDI approval.