Clarksville, AR Disability Benefits (SSDI) Attorney

Disability provided by the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is one of the best ways to help yourself and your family get ongoing benefits while you are dealing with a long-term disability.  If you have an injury, a health condition, a developmental condition, cancer, or some other condition, disability benefits might be available to help cover day-to-day expenses and more.

The SSDI program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and essentially pays the same benefits you can get at retirement, but it pays them to you early because of your disability.  However, applying for this program can be confusing, and our lawyers can help you with any denials and delays in approval.

For a free review of your situation, call our disability benefits attorneys today at (479) 316-0438.

What is SSDI in Clarksville, AR?

The phrase “disability” could refer to a few different programs available to injured workers.  Sometimes, your employer might provide short-term or long-term disability insurance through private insurance carriers, and you might consider Workers’ Compensation a “disability” program since it pays you during periods of disability.  The SSDI program is a separate federal program that can help on top of other programs, and it should be one of the first programs you consider applying to if you have a long-term disability.

Under SSDI, workers who have a history of paying their Social Security taxes while working can put their earned “work credits” to use and claim benefits to cover them during periods of disability.  This program is designed for long-term disabilities, meaning disability projected to last for over a year or ultimately end in the person’s death.

To be “disabled” for purposes of SSDI, you have to be unable to work or perform other job tasks you have performed in the past.  One measure of this is whether your condition meets the medical definition, which usually includes a “severity” requirement.  For example, while “depression” might qualify for a diagnosis from a mental health professional, the requirements for “depression” meeting the SSA’s definition will usually describe a more severe form with more symptoms that need to be met.  A second measure the SSA uses is whether you can work at all to make ends meet.  The specific way they gauge this is through a monetary threshold called Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA); if you cannot make enough money to meet the SGA limit, you might qualify as disabled for SSDI purposes.

How to Get Disability Benefits Through SSDI in Clarksville, AR

Our disability benefits attorneys can help you apply for and qualify for these benefits by helping you draw up all the necessary paperwork, getting you the supporting medical documentation you need, and making sure that your claim includes all of the proper language to help cut down on the SSA’s questions, allowing them to more easily grant your application.

Usually, the SSA accepts applications online, in person, or through the mail.  In this application, you need to enter biographical info as well as information about your condition, what abilities you have lost since the condition took hold, and what your work history looks like.  Generally, these applications must provide enough support to show that your condition exists and meets the definition of “severe,” or else the SSA might reject your application.

Common Reasons for Denied SSDI Applications and Terminated Benefits in Clarksville, AR

There are many different reasons the SSA might deny your application or try to suspend or terminate your benefits, but the most common reasons are as follows:

Your Income is Too High

If you are able to work and make money, then the SSA does not consider you disabled “enough” for SSDI benefits.  The SSA requires you to report your income while applying and while on SSDI benefits, and if your income goes too high, you might trigger a trial work period or be kicked off benefits entirely.

During a trial work period, the SSA essentially tests whether you can go back to work.  If they find you are able to do so, then they might start taking you off benefits and transitioning you back to work, even if you still have serious symptoms.  As such, any work above and beyond the trial work period limit could jeopardize your benefits.

You should always have a lawyer review your financial situation, as only active income is supposed to count.  This means you should likely not be reporting passive income like rental payments as active income or in any other way that might jeopardize your benefits.

The SSA is Unable to Determine Your Disability Status

The way that the SSA phrases this denial is that they cannot determine whether or not you are disabled.  Usually, this simply means that they do not have enough information or evidence to confirm your disability.  This might happen because the information provided to them is too vague or because they have actually tried contacting you about a medical exam or requests for additional reports from doctors, and you somehow missed the mail or notices.

Often, this comes down to miscommunication rather than a denial based on the actual facts of your case.  Our attorneys can help you gather the information you need and report it to the SSA, ideally helping your application get reconsidered or having the suspension/termination overturned.

Clerical Errors

If you are disabled and unable to go to work, it is possible that filling out a packet of applications is also beyond your current capabilities.  And yet, the SSA expects applications to be filled out perfectly and without errors.  Often, simple mistakes on the forms such as missing pages or missed signature lines can be enough to have the SSA throw out your application.  Our lawyers can help you fill out applications and ensure that every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed to put you in the best position to have your application accepted and your benefits paid.

Call Our Clarksville, AR Disability Benefit Lawyers for SSDI Today

If you need help applying for SSDI or overturning suspensions and denials, call our disability benefits lawyers at (479) 316-0438 for a free case evaluation.