Four Things You Should Know Before Applying for Disability
We’ll go over four facts regarding applying for disability benefits online that nobody tells you below. Some of these insider tips on disabilities can even enable you to strengthen your application. Your understanding of how and why the Social Security Administration (SSA) accepts some claims while rejecting others will be improved.
#1: A college education can hurt your chances of getting approved.
First
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that those with college degrees had the lowest SSDI approval rates. And it is accurate regardless of the health issues you describe in your claim. Why? SSA makes the assumption that people with higher education can find employment options that are compatible with their current circumstances. Even at the age of 50, obtaining benefits is easier with just a high school diploma than with a college degree. If you have already completed college, there is little you can do, and keeping it off your application won’t assist either. Even if you turn it off, the SSA can still view all of your background information. However, your condition’s impact on your capacity to work is the primary determinant of whether you qualify for benefits.
No. 2: What Nobody Tells You Your SSDI Payment Amounts to About 40% of Your Work-Related Wages.
SSDI payments, like standard Social Security retirement benefits, cannot entirely replace your income from employment. And the reason for it is that the law’s authors never meant it to pay more than half of your typical monthly salary. This means that if you are unable to work owing to health concerns, applying for disability benefits may be helpful. Your payout is determined by taking the average of your lifetime’s best salaries. It is just unrealistic to anticipate that your Social Security benefits (retirement or disability) will completely replace your wages from employment.
Second
The cost of filing for disability may go down in the future since federal lawmakers have the power to amend Social Security rules at any moment. Do you want to discover the largest lie about applying for disability that is false that people share online? anybody who applies for disability can receive benefits without ever having to work a day in their lives. Anyone who has never worked (or hasn’t worked recently enough) is only eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), according to federal law. And that’s assuming they have less than $2,000 in assets and a qualifying disability! The maximum amount of monthly SSI benefits you can receive in 2023 is $914.
Third Mistake Nobody Makes: It is impossible to print, download, or otherwise obtain a paper application form for home completion anywhere online or in person.
Third
You read that correctly: You cannot leave the local SSA office with your application, even if you are applying for disability there. The SSA forbids you from bringing forms home to complete on your own; an agent must assist you in person. These forms cannot be taken with you if you want to fill them out privately and check them for errors. Furthermore, making an appointment to receive assistance at your nearby SSA office is currently very challenging. They won’t send you home with the form even if you have an appointment!
When you file online, you may move at your own pace and save your work as you go. The SSA representative you are speaking with when you call to apply fills out the application for you. Before providing their information to the SSA, some people insist on seeing a hard copy and double-checking it. If it applies to you, your only choice is to file for disability with the aid of a lawyer. Whether you’re applying for disability on your own or with the aid of an attorney, this is what you need to get started. Both application processes are cost-free. However, hiring a lawyer increases your chances of being accepted and paid quickly by almost 3 times.
The fourth thing no one tells you is that waiting until you’ve exhausted your savings before applying for disability is a grave error.
The SSA’s mandated five-month waiting period implies that six months after claiming for disability, you can expect to start receiving payments. (A few exceptions apply.) Want one more compelling argument not to wait? On average, it takes 11+ months to schedule an appeals hearing if you make a mistake on your application. To view the typical hearing wait times in your state, click here. You could be out of work for almost two years if you combine the two waiting periods.
Fourth
You might be eligible for SSDI if you worked five jobs over the past ten years at which you paid FICA taxes. However, SSDI is in fact an insurance plan. Monthly payments for that policy are paid by your FICA taxes. So your coverage automatically expires five years after the date you last worked. The SSA will automatically reject your application if this takes place around the same time as you submit a disability claim. You might still be eligible for SSI, but the maximum payment of $914 is considerably less than SSDI benefits. The bottom line is to apply right now!
You Might Be Eligible for Legal Aid
The lawyers in our network can answer your questions over the phone for free because every SSD claim is different. Your chances of receiving benefits are roughly tripled if you have a lawyer file your claim papers. Typically, those who are approved for legal aid through this website receive $12,000 in back pay in addition to monthly payments. All disability attorneys take cases on a contingency basis, so you won’t have to pay anything up front if the SSA doesn’t grant you benefits. And if you succeed, you’ll simply have to pay a little price.
