What Disability Benefits Can I Seek?
If you were injured recently and cannot work due to the disabling nature of your injury, or if you have been diagnosed with a medical condition that will prevent you from working due to the disabling nature of the condition, you are likely trying to determine your eligibility for disability benefits. You may know that the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides certain types of disability benefits, and that you could also be eligible for other types of disability benefits depending on your personal circumstances. What disability benefits can you seek? The following is some general information to help you understand the types of disability benefits that could be available to you. Once you are ready to seek benefits, you should get in touch with one of the national disability benefits attorneys at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz.
Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI Benefits
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are administered through the SSA and are commonly known as “Disability,” according to the SSA. To be eligible for SSDI benefits, you will need to have medical evidence that shows you have a disabling medical condition that is expected to last at least 12 months or to result in death, and that prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity. You will also need to show that your work history reveals that you worked long enough, and enough hours, to be eligible. Then, SSDI benefit amounts are based on your wages prior to your disability.
SSDI benefits are not income-based or asset-based benefits — you can be eligible regardless of the income you earned prior to your disability and regardless of the amount of money or assets you currently have.
Supplemental Security Income or SSI
Supplemental security income (SSI) benefits are not technically described as “disability” payments through the SSA, but they are a type of benefit for disabled individuals with limited assets. Like SSDI benefits, SSI is administered through the SSA. In some cases, disabled adults can obtain both SSDI and SSI payments, depending on their individual circumstances.
Veterans’ Disability Benefits
If you are a disabled veteran, you could be eligible to receive veterans’ disability benefits. In general, you can receive both veterans’ disability benefits and SSDI benefits at the same time without having one reduce the other.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
If your disability resulted from a workplace injury, you could be eligible to seek workers’ compensation benefits, including benefits based on the degree of your disability. You can obtain both workers’ compensation and SSDI benefits at the same time, although the amount of each type of benefit may require that one be reduced so that you do not obtain more than the maximum amount permitted through the SSA.
Private Disability Benefits
You may also be eligible to seek private disability benefits through your employer, for example. These benefits vary widely.
Contact a National Disability Benefits Attorney for Assistance
Depending on whether you are seeking disability benefits through the SSA or through another entity, you will need to determine the requirements you must meet to prove your eligibility and to provide all necessary medical and work history documentation. If you are planning to seek SSDI benefits, it is important to have one of the experienced national SSDI benefits lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz to assist you so that you can be sure that your application is complete and that you have submitted all necessary materials for approval.
Source:
ssa.gov/disability
