If you are disabled or injured and can not work, you may be entitled to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or Social Security Income (SSI) benefits. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) approval process can be frustrating and overwhelming.
Most first-time claims are denied and many are denied again during the reconsideration phase. Statistics show that your chances of approval are far greater when you have an experienced Edmond Social Security disability attorney representing you.
Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Lawton Social Security Disability lawyer, Gary Wayne Jones has been helping clients qualify for and receive the benefits they are entitled to for over thirty years. The Law Center of Social Security Disability can help you get the benefits you are entitled to.
Call us today at (405) 236-1416 or visit our contact page to schedule a free consultation.
What is the Difference Between SSDI and SSI Benefits
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) pays benefits to workers who have become disabled if they have paid enough premiums to qualify. Premiums are paid monthly by employees when their employer withholds FICA from their paychecks.
As you pay these premiums, you accumulate “work credits.” If you have enough work credits, you may be eligible for SSDI if you meet the SSA’s definition of a qualifying disability.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays benefits to severely disabled people with very limited income and resources. To qualify for SSI, a person must either be ineligible to receive SSDI or are only able to receive a very small amount of SSDI. The SSI program also pays benefits to people who are blind and adults with limited income who are 65 or older.
Qualifying for Edmond Social Security Disability
There are strict rules for qualifying for SSDI benefits. In most cases, you must have a physical or mental impairment that prevents you from engaging in “substantial gainful activity.” This phrase is used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) when referring to your ability to earn income from a job.
To qualify for SSDI, your physical or mental disability must:
- Have lasted or be expected to last at least 12 consecutive months, or is expected to result in death.
- Prevent you from doing the work you were doing before your disability.
- Prevent you from doing other kinds of work due to your condition.
You must have also worked at a job that withheld social security premiums pursuant to the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) from your paycheck each month. When determining eligibility the SSA considers your “work credits.” Work credits are the credits you accumulate when a portion of the taxes withheld from your employment are paid to the SSA. The amount of work credits needed to qualify for SSDI depends on your age.
As long as you are working and paying FICA each month you are considered “insured” for disability benefits. However, if you stop working and paying FICA, your insured status will eventually end.
Generally, your insured status will end five years after you last worked. You must prove that you became disabled before the date your insured status ended to be eligible for SSDI benefits.
Contact an Edmond Social Security Disability Lawyer
Whether you have just begun to consider applying for SSDI benefits or you have been struggling with the claims process for months, a Social Security Disability lawyer in Edmond can help you move forward with your claim.
The Law Center For Social Security Disability has been helping residents of Edmond and the surrounding area get the benefits they deserve for more than three decades.
We will sit down with you, listen to your story, answer all your questions, and explain your rights. If we represent you, we will aggressively fight to get you the full amount of benefits you are entitled to.
Call us today at (405) 236-1416 or visit our contact page to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.