Although statistics show that over a quarter of Georgia residents suffer from a disability, only a small percentage of them receive disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. Many who should be eligible for disability benefits apply and have their applications denied. Others find the application process too intimidating and never manage to apply.
At Burgess & Christensen, we want to help. We know that when you are unable to work due to a disability, you need a reliable source of income and health insurance, and that is just what disability benefits provide. We can help you prepare and submit your application, and ensure that it is optimized to satisfy the requirements of the Social Security Administration. While many attorneys don’t want to work with claimants until they have received a denial, we know that a well-prepared application sets the stage for early success in the claim process, and we want to help you make your best claim right from the start.
Before We File Your Application
It is not enough just to be eligible for benefits. The difficulty is in proving your eligibility to the Social Security Administration. So before we submit an application, it is important to ensure that we are developing a body of evidence to establish qualifications.. This may require gaining additional medical records, getting opinions from your medical providers, and more. It can sometimes take time to gather all the information we need to prepare a strong application, and we want to get the process started as quickly as possible. For instance, we may want to contact your doctor to explain the information the Social Security Administration is looking for and how your doctor can assist by fully describing your disability in their reports. Then, while we give the doctor time to prepare a thorough report, we can move on to other parts of the application process.
Many applicants believe they need to have been suffering from a disability for a year before they can apply for disability benefits. However, the qualification is a bit different. Your condition needs to be one that you expect will keep you from working for a year or more. But you can apply as soon as you go out of work, even if you go out on medical leave.
Preparing the Application and Supporting Documentation
The way you complete each part of the application can be critical to success with the process. We work with you step by step, answering each question completely and in a way that satisfies the criteria expected by the Social Security Administration. Our familiarity with agency procedure enables us to understand the answers that can lead to success or denial of an application.
We know that the Social Security Administration will need to see evidence showing how your disabling condition prevents you from working. We will demonstrate this through the application itself and the medical reports and other evidence we prepare to submit with your claim.
The Application May Actually Require Three Stages to Complete
Many people think that they will fill out an application, wait for an answer, and the process will be over, for better or for worse. This is not how disability benefit claims work in actuality.
Statistically, what happens most in successful cases is that an applicant submits the application, the Social Security Administration takes months to review the application, and then denies the claim. At that point the application requests that the agency reconsider their decision. The applicant can submit additional information to support the claim. But since the reconsideration involves agency staff applying the same criteria, they will still often deny the application on reconsideration.
Then the process moves on to the third stage, the administrative hearing. This is often where an applicant can make the best case to show why they are entitled to disability benefits, and this is where applicants most often succeed in gaining benefits.
When our team says we will assist with your application, we mean that we are ready to help at each stage in the process. Your application is not complete, in our minds, until you have received notice that you have been approved for benefits. So we keep working and fighting until we achieve the best outcome under the circumstances.
Get Help with Your Disability Application from Burgess & Christensen
When you are disabled and not able to work, you owe it to yourself and your family to find out if you qualify for disability benefits under the SSDI or SSI programs. We can review your situation, tell you what you may be eligible to receive, and work with you through the application process from the beginning until the very end.
Burgess & Christensen is dedicated to helping you gain the benefits you deserve. Schedule a free evaluation appointment with us today to learn more about our application assistance.