Eligibility For Children And Spouses Of A Disabled Person In Pennsylvania
SSDI benefits are mainly intended for people who are unable to work due to a disability or medical condition. However, under limited circumstances, family members of disabled individuals may be eligible to receive SSDI benefits.
For the most part, family members who can receive SSDI benefits from your working history are limited to spouses and children. Eligible children include adopted children and can sometimes include stepchildren and grandchildren, depending on your situation. If you are the spouse or child of an injured worker, you may be able to use your spouse or parents working record to obtain benefits for your support in addition to theirs.
Elderly spouses over the age of 62 may be eligible, but spouses of any age could also be eligible if they are taking care of your child and dependent on your income. The eligibility of children is primarily based on their age, marital status, and disability status.
If you have family members who you believe are eligible to receive SSDI benefits through your disability status, speak with our Allentown SSDI attorneys about beginning the application process.
You May Qualify For Legal Assistance
Youre nearly 3x more likely to get benefits if a Pennsylvania disability lawyer files your application for you. An experienced Social Security attorney can call you right away and answer your claim questions free of charge. You can get a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation before starting your Pennsylvania disability application. All Pennsylvania disability lawyers work on contingency. That means if the SSA wont approve your application, you owe that lawyer $0 for helping you. And if you do get benefits, then youll only pay a small, one-time fee.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free online benefits evaluation now!
Contact An Experienced North Carolina Ssd Benefits Lawyer
The SSA maintains a list of impairments that are considered so severe that they automatically qualify one for disability benefits as long as all other requirements are met. These conditions are found in the SSAs Blue Book, which describes the medical evidence that is needed to prove the impairment.
You can also be declared disabled if you have a condition that is considered to be equal in severity to a listed impairment.
Even if you dont have a listed impairment or one considered equal in severity to a listed one, you may still be deemed to be disabled if you can show that your medical condition keeps you from working or doing any other type of work.
Allow Hardison & Cochran to put its skill and experience to work for you in seeking disability benefits. In particular, we can help you to gather the medical evidence you need to show you are disabled.
Contact us today and receive a free and immediate review of your case.
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Supplemental Security Income Application Process And Applicants’ Rights
CHECK IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SSI AND HOW TO APPLY
We strongly recommend you check the eligibility requirements for SSI before you start your application or contact us to make an appointment. If you are unsure you may qualify after reading these requirements, call us at 1-800-772-1213 .
You can apply for SSI benefits by:
Visiting our Apply Online for Disability Benefits website to start the disability application process online. You may be eligible to apply for SSI through the online disability application.
Having someone else call and make the appointment for you or assist you with your application for SSI. For more information, see our chapter on HOW SOMEONE CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR SSI or
You will have to provide information and work with us to get documents concerning SSI eligibility.
WHEN TO APPLY
Apply as soon as possible so that you do not lose benefits. We cannot pay benefits for time periods earlier than the effective date of your application.
If you call us to make an appointment to apply and you file an application within 60 days, we may use the date of your call as your application filing date.
If you are in a public institution but you will be leaving within a few months, you may not be eligible for SSI until you leave. You may, however, be able to apply before you leave so that SSI benefits can begin quickly after you leave. Check with the institution and contact us about filing an application under the “prerelease procedure.”
Some Publications That Will Give You More Information On Disability Benefits
The Disability Starter Kit will help you get ready for your disability interview or online application. Kits are available for adults and for children under age 18.
The starter kits provide information about the specific documents and the information that we will request from you.
The kits also provide general information about the disability programs and our decision-making process.
Here are some additional resources with information on disability benefits:
- Disability Evaluation Under Social Security – Medical criteria for evaluating Social Security disability claims
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Applying For Disability Benefits Online In Pennsylvania
When a serious medical condition prevents you from working, the lack of income can lead to an incredibly stressful and frustrating financial situation. However, there may be good news: you could qualify to receive monthly disability benefits called Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, through the Social Security Administration.
These monthly SSDI payments range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, which you can use to help cover the costs of groceries, utility bills, prescription medications, and other daily expenses. The average SSDI payment for 2015 is $1,165, while maximum payments can be as high as $2,663. However, youll need to submit an SSDI claim first.
In this article, our Philadelphia and Bucks County social security attorneys will explain the steps to applying for SSDI online, including basic eligibility requirements, issues that can disqualify you from consideration, and the documents youll need when you file.
To start exploring your options in a free and confidential legal consultation, call the law offices of Young, Marr & Associates at 701-6519 in Pennsylvania today. We proudly serve residents of Pennsylvania.
How To Apply For Disability Benefits In Pennsylvania
Applying for Social Security Disability benefits can be an arduous process. First, people are in physical or emotional distress relating to their illness and have a tremendous lifestyle change in stopping employment. The process can be both financially and emotionally taxing for the Claimant as well as the Claimants family. The following is a brief guide as to what to expect when applying for Social Security Disability or Supplemental Social Security Income benefits in Pennsylvania.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of disabled Pennsylvanians apply for monthly disability benefits through social security programs administered by the Social Security Administration, or SSA. If you have a health condition which prevents you from working, depending on factors like your employment history and financial resources you may be eligible for SSI , or SSDI , both of which provide federal financial assistance.
However, while numerous applicants are successful, many more are rejected. In Pennsylvania, only about 32% of claims are accepted after the initial application is made. The SSAs eligibility criteria are notoriously strict, and there are plentiful technical and medical reasons a claim might be denied. When youre up against such challenging odds, you need to take every possible step to make your claim as strong and compelling as it can be. The more you understand the application process, the better equipped you will be to deal with the social security system.
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Claiming The Disability Amount Once The Dtc Application Is Approved
You can claim the disability amount on your tax return once the person with the disability is eligible for the DTC.
- To claim the disability amount for your spouse or common-law partner, see line 32600 Amounts transfered from your spouse or common-law partner
If a person was eligible for the DTC for previous years but did not claim the disability amount when they sent their tax return, they can request adjustments for up to 10 years under the CRA’s Taxpayer Relief Provision.
To claim the disability amount for those prior years, you can ask for a reassessment. For more information, go to How to change a return.
See the following chart to know the maximum federal disability amounts and the maximum supplement for children with disabilities for prior years.
Other Ways You Can Apply
Apply With Your Local Office
You can do most of your business with Social Security online. If you cannot use these online services, your local Social Security office can help you apply. Although our offices are closed to the public, employees from those offices are assisting people by telephone. You can find the phone number for your local office by using our Office Locator and looking under Social Security Office Information. The toll-free Office number is your local office.
Apply By Phone
If You Do Not Live in the U.S. Or One of Its Territories
Contact the if you live outside the U.S. or a U.S. territory and wish to apply for retirement benefits.
Mailing Your Documents
If you mail any documents to us, you must include the Social Security number so that we can match them with the correct application. Do not write anything on the original documents. Please write the Social Security number on a separate sheet of paper and include it in the mailing envelope along with the documents.
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Your Work History And Ssdi Benefits In Pennsylvania
Getting approved for SSDI requires more than just being disabled. SSDI is based on Social Security and will only be available to people who have a history of employment during which they paid Social Security taxes. A person who has never worked or never paid into Social Security taxes may be ineligible for SSDI, unless they can use their spouse or parents record to get SSDI. If you have no eligible spouse or parents, there are other forms of public assistance for which you may qualify. Contact our Philadelphia SSDI lawyers to discuss your situation.
Generally, the age at which you became disabled will dictate how many years of work you must have in order to be approved for SSDI. The younger you are, the fewer years of work experience you need. However, if your disability did not manifest until a later age, you will need a longer work history in order to be approved.
Your work history is also important because it is used to determine the number of your benefit payments if you are approved. Benefits will be based on your average lifetime income. The more you earned when you were able to work, the greater your benefits will be. This can put people who earned low incomes who had shorter work histories at a disadvantage. Contact our Bucks County SSDI lawyers to discuss your best options.
Your Ability To Work And Ssdi Benefits In Pennsylvania
Not all disabled individuals are completely unable to work. Some disabled people can perform more limited kinds of work, but their income would be insufficient to support them fully. You do not have to be completely incapacitated in order to be approved for SSDI benefits in Pennsylvania. Perhaps you can work a part-time job with more limited job duties.
SSDI is calculated based on the average income of your working years. For people who had a lower income, their SSDI benefits may not be enough. In such cases, speak to an attorney before trying to supplement your SSDI benefits with a small income from working. If you are able to work, your benefits may be reduced.
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Assessing Your Residual Functional Capacity
In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 416.945, the Social Security Administration will evaluate your highest effective work capacity to be able to ascertain what jobs you may be able to perform. Remember, it is not the Administrations job to disqualify persons who genuinely need help, but weed out those attempting to defraud the system by investigating them for disability fraud.
Persons with leg issues may not perform standing work duties, but would qualify for sedentary jobs individuals who cannot recall information due to mental conditions, but read well enough can also find employment. When and only when the SSA determines no possible jobs exist that individuals can perform given their condition will benefits be awardable. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles is the standard used by examiners to match work with ones capabilities.
Disabled persons experiencing chronic pain may be able to qualify by showing an inability to work. Through testing and review, SSA will consider the intensity, frequency, and limitations of your chronic pains to determine if benefits are payable.
How Do I Apply For Short Term Disability In Pa
Social Security Disability has many benefits that make going through the application process worth the hassle in fact, you have no shortage of options when you are ready to apply. You can either hire an experienced lawyer, or start the application process either online at SSA.gov, or in person.
You will be asked questions about your ailment, what you have done to mitigate further damage to your body, where you work and the activities you perform. Most initial applications are denied by default unless you are paralyzed, blind or over 65.
Denied applications will go through an appeals process that could take one or several years. If accepted, you will receive back pay based on when you applied, and when you were granted benefits. With an attorney working on your case, you are likelier to get approved much quicker than if you re-applied without one.
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Ssa Requirements For Disability Benefits
Not all applicants will qualify to receive monthly SSDI benefits. Before your claim can be approved by the SSA, youll need to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Your medical condition cannot be mild and easy to control: on the contrary, it must be considered severely disabling. If you can suppress or effectively manage your illness with treatment, the SSA medical examiners will not find that you are genuinely disabled even if your doctor disagrees. Remember, the SSAs objective is to ensure that benefits are awarded only to people who are unable to maintain consistent employment. If the SSA thinks you can work around your medical condition, your application will be rejected.
- If you are working, your monthly earnings must not exceed a certain limit. This limit is expressed as SGA or your Substantial Gainful Activity. The 2015 income limit for SSDI applicants is $1,090 per month. If you are able to earn more than this amount per month, the SSA will conclude that you are not truly disabled by your condition. However, there is a special exception for blind applicants, who are permitted earnings of up to $1,820 per month in 2015.
- Whatever it may be, your condition must be long-term. This means it must:
- Have lasted for one year .
- Be expected to last for at least one year .
- Be expected to result in death.
The Social Security Act Defines Disability Very Strictly
Eligibility rules for Social Security’s disability program differ from those of private plans or other government agencies. Social Security doesn’t provide temporary or partial disability benefits, like workers’ compensation or veterans’ benefits do.
To receive disability benefits, a person must meet the definition of disability under the Social Security Act . A person is disabled under the Act if they can’t work due to a severe medical condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least one year or result in death. The person’s medical condition must prevent them from doing work that they did in the past, and it must prevent them from adjusting to other work.
Because the Act defines disability so strictly, Social Security disability beneficiaries are among the most severely impaired in the country. In fact, Social Security disability beneficiaries are more than three times as likely to die in a year as other people the same age. Among those who start receiving disability benefits at the age of 55, 1-in-6 men and 1-in-8 women die within five years of the onset of their disabilities.
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Finding An Attorney For Yout Erisa Appeal Lawsuit In Federal Court
Upon a final administrative denial, if your claim is an ERISA claim, it must be appealed to federal court. Private policy appeals can often be brought in either federal or state court depending on the language. However, for purposes of this article, we are dealing with ERISA claims since they are the majority of the claims that reach this level.
You cannot bring a lawsuit on an ERISA claim unless you have exhausted your administrative claims by filing all appropriate appeals. Furthermore, unlike a private policy claim where a Claimant will have an opportunity to testify, in a lawsuit against your insurer in an ERISA claim, you are almost always prohibited from introducing new evidence including testimony.
Drp Helps People With Disabilities:
- With disability-related problems in employment, education, housing, access to facilities and programs, and access to the opportunity to vote
- Who are subjected to abuse or neglect
- Eliminate institutionalization and segregation and advocates for integrated community services, supports and treatment
- Eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability
- Advocate for government service systems and funding for people with disabilities
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Social Security Works Aggressively To Prevent Detect And Prosecute Fraud
Social Security, along with the Office of the Inspector General, identifies and aggressively prosecutes those who commit fraud. Our zero tolerance approach has resulted in a fraud incidence rate that is a fraction of one percent.
One of our most effective measures to guard against fraud is the Cooperative Disability Investigations program. Under the program, we investigate suspicious disability claims early, before making a decision to award benefits. In effect, we proactively stop fraud before it happens. In fiscal year 2018, with the help of state and local law enforcement, the program reported nearly $188.5 million in projected savings to the disability programs. This resulted in a return on investment of $17 for each $1 spent.
Eradicating fraud is a team effort. We need people who suspect something to say something. If you suspect fraud, please visit the Office of the Inspector General and select Report Fraud, Waste, or Abuse or call 1-800-269-0271.