What Is SSI?
If you are suffering from a physical or mental condition that is severe enough to keep you from working for a period of 12 months or more, you may qualify for a benefits program for disabled workers known as Social Security Disability.
This program provides you with monthly benefits covered by Social Security. These benefits continue for the duration of your disability, potentially up to and until retirement age if you meet the following requirements:
1.) If you have contributed to Social Security by wage withholding for a specified period of time (usually five of the last 10 years) and you meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of “disabled.”
2.) You are a disabled widow, widower, or divorced spouse of a Social Security wage earner.
The Social Security Administration‘s definition of “disability” states you must have a physical or mental impairment that is severe enough to keep you from working full time in any regular paying job for at least 12 months. You may also qualify by having a combination of impairments, for example, a back injury plus depression.
Social Security regulations are “age skewed,” meaning the older you are, the more likely you will qualify.
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a program that follows the same definition of “disability” as the Social Security Disability program but provides you with a lower amount of benefits. These benefits are available if you are a lower-income and/or lower resource individual.
If you do not qualify for Social Security Disability due to a lack of and/or insufficient work history, consider applying for the SSI program.
Have You Received A Denial From The Social Security Administration?
If you have applied for Social Security Disability or SSI and have been denied, don’t give up hope. Statistics show that the Social Security Administration denies over 90% of all initial and reconsideration claims.
Call the Hedtke Law Firm today! Our experienced attorneys will give you a FREE initial consultation and let you know what your options are. Usually, this involves pursuing the denied claim to the next level, which is often an Administrative Law Judge hearing (ALJ hearing for short). It is at this level where the case is considered most fully and carefully, including a “face to face” (although almost always by video teleconference) with the judge. It is at this juncture where it is important to have experienced local representation, on your side, who is familiar with the rules, regulations, and medical proof issues, and well prepared. And again, you won’t pay us anything unless you receive benefits.