Holiday SSDI Lawyer
Many people work all of their lives, only to be left disabled due to a catastrophic injury or chronic illness. Years ago, this would have resulted in a complete loss of income for that person. However, the modern Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is in place to provide some relief for people in need.
There are strict requirements for this program that look at both the worker’s employment history and medical conditions. Because of these harsh standards, most applicants are denied on their first attempt. Holiday SSDI lawyers understand the program requirements. Distinguished personal injury attorneys can help people to submit their applications property and to increase their chances of success.
Past Work Requirements
The first requirement for SSDI is an adequate work history. As a person accumulates time at work, they are issued work credits for every quarter year that they are employed. These credits are issued only when a person works for a certain number of hours and for a certain income level. The exact income level needed to qualify for credit changes over time. In 2017, it was set at $1,300 per three months of work.
This is not a high standard to meet, but a person struggling with a disabling condition may have issues with this requirement. As these credits are earned, they are placed into a bank. This bank must contain 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the past 10 years for a SSDI claim to work. For people who are too young to have been able to work for 10 years, the math does change. An individual’s recent work history is vitally important. Not only will a recent, full-time job accumulate the required work credits, but the amount of benefits issued to a successful applicant scales with the amount earned at work.
The exact amount of potential benefits available does vary based upon costs of living, but generally speaking someone who earned $50,000 per year prior to becoming disabled can expect greater benefits than a person who earned $40,000. For more information on how work history can impact someone’s future, individuals should speak with a Holiday SSDI lawyer.
Medical Requirements
In order for a person to be considered disabled, they need to be unable to perform any substantial gainful activity. This means that they are unable to work any job for at least 30 hours a week. It does not matter if that job is a desk job, manual labor, or even a minimum wage position, if the job can be done, a person is not disabled under the legal definition.
The condition itself must also be sufficiently serious. The injury or illness must place the person in imminent threat of death. Barring this, it must have lasted, or be expected to last, 12 consecutive months. In order to prove that the condition meets one of these two requirements, doctors’ records are a key piece of evidence. One of the most common mistakes that applicants make is to get a diagnosis from a doctor, but to not seek follow-up treatment.
If a person has no medical records to submit into evidence, then the Social Security case worker will assume that the condition is not serious enough to need treatment, or that the worker’s condition has improved. The number one tip that for potential clients is to seek consistent medical treatment and to follow doctors’ orders.
Hiring a Holiday SSDI Attorney
The truth of the matter is that most SSDI applications are rejected. This is because the Social Security Administration is looking for a specific set of medical conditions that do not require any kind of analysis to prove that a person is disabled. For the vast majority of applicants, their conditions are more nuanced.
They have chronic pain that medicines and surgery have not fixed, or they have constant depression or anxiety that affect every aspect of their lives. In cases like these, consistent medical treatment and a steady influx of evidence are their best chances at a successful outcome. Holiday SSDI lawyers are familiar with the paperwork and processes of the SSDI program. SSDI attorneys can help potential clients properly submit and complete everything that is required. If necessary, attorneys can accompany potential clients to judges’ hearings to get them the benefits that they deserve.