Do you have a medical or mental condition that keeps you from working? It is a very worrisome time not knowing how you are going to pay your bills because you are unable to work. If you are disabled, you may qualify to receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration through one of its programs. The Social Security Disability Insurance will pay benefits if you have a disability that keeps you out of work for a year or results in your death, and the Supplemental Security Income will pay a supplemental income if you retire or once you have reached a certain age. Obtaining benefits for a disability is a long and complicated process, and you do not automatically qualify just because your doctor says you are disabled. The requirements are complex, and the forms are difficult to complete. Even if you are eligible to receive disability benefits, you can be denied over and over again.
According to the Disability Determination Services, disability is defined as an individual that is unable to engage in any gainful work activity due to a medically determined physical or mental impairment that is expected to continue for 12 month or result in death. Partial or temporary disabilities are not qualified to receive Social Security benefits. The impairment must be confirmed by the individual’s symptoms, medical signs, laboratory results, and any other test results. The documentation that you provide must adequately provide the DDS with the required information to be able to evaluate the severity of the impairment, any restrictions, and the length of the impairment.
The process starts by filing your claims with the state office of the Disability Determination Services. A lawyer is not required to represent you in the claims or appeal process. A claimant represented by an attorney is more likely to obtain benefits than an individual claimant. The disability attorney is familiar with how to properly fill out the complicated forms and knows the requirements and rules of the disability process. If there is an appeal needed, the disability attorney knows the procedures and rules to navigate through the process.
Todd R. Renda, Attorney At Law is a licensed disability lawyer in Tacoma that is ready to represent you in obtaining the disability benefits that you are eligible to receive.
