McCandless
Social Security Disability Lawyer

On This Page

1. Find Out if You Qualify for SSDI
2. Eligibility for Social Security Benefits
3. Receiving Benefits Is Not Immediate
4. What to Do If You Receive a Denial
5. Allow a McCandless Social Security Disability Lawyer to Look at Your Case

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

January 01, 2024

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

Find Out if You Qualify for SSDI

Some injuries prove severe enough to leave victims permanently disabled. When this happens to a working person, the extent of their injuries may keep them from gainful employment, causing them and their family financial devastation. The Social Security Administration may provide an option when a disability prevents a person from returning to the workforce in the form of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.

To find out if you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits after suffering a traumatic injury, you have the right to consult an attorney. You may also use the help of a McCandless Social Security Disability lawyer to pursue a reconsideration of your initial application if you received a denial of benefits. The process involved in applying for these programs is very formal and complex. You may benefit from an attorney’s help with the process by having the peace of mind to shift your focus to coping with your injuries and adjusting your lifestyle.

Berger and Green handles Security Disability Insurance benefits cases, and we want to determine if we can help you apply or address a denial of your original application. Call us at (412) 661-1400 for a free case evaluation.

Eligibility for Social Security Benefits

The Social Security Administration provides help through different forms of benefits programs, including Social Security Disability Insurance as well as Supplemental Security Income. Eligibility for each type of program differs, and the application process for each may prove time-consuming and complex. If you are eligible for both of these programs, you may have the option to file concurrently.

Social Security Disability Insurance

To qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, you usually must have sustained an injury or medical issue that left you disabled and prevented you from working regularly.

One of the advantages of Social Security Disability Insurance is that additional benefits may apply to you if you have:

• A spouse of 62 years or older
• A spouse caring for a disabled child or a child of 16 years or younger
• An unmarried, disabled adult child in your care
• Children under 18 years of age

Regardless of your family members, your Social Security Disability Insurance benefits also depend on your age and the length of your work experience. For example, if you sustained disabling injuries from an accident at the age of 24 but you do not have at least one and half years of work experience over the past three years, you may not qualify for these types of assistance. A McCandless Social Security Disability lawyer can help determine your eligibility for benefits.

Social Supplemental Income

Social Supplemental Income refers to benefits given for disabled adults who meet low income and resource guidelines. These benefits may even extend to a person of 65 years or older who does not suffer from a disability but earns limited income.

Other people who may qualify to receive Social Supplemental Income include:

• Disabled adult citizens between the ages of 18 and 65A disabled child under the age of 18

An existing application for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits does not disqualify a person from receiving Social Supplemental Income, either.

To learn more about what this may mean for you, call Berger and Green today at (412) 661-1400.

Receiving Benefits Is Not Immediate

While Social Supplemental Income benefits may arrive in a more timely manner than other forms of assistance, Social Security Disability Insurance benefits require five months to pass from the date of your accident or disability for you to begin receiving checks.

What to Do If You Receive a Denial

If the Social Security Administration denies you benefits upon your first application, you have the option to appeal. The process is not simple, though, and recent changes affect how you must approach your denial. In Pennsylvania, for example, the Social Security Administration reintroduced the reconsideration stage for applicants attempting to appeal a denial of benefits. Before you are allowed to set a hearing, you must wait for your application to go through reconsideration, which takes additional time.

Allow a McCandless Social Security Disability Lawyer to Look at Your Case

If you have questions or concerns at any phase of the application process for Social Security Disability benefits, legal counsel may help you in a number of ways. Along with determining your eligibility for different benefits, a lawyer may also help you approach the appeals process, whether you have completed the reconsideration stage or not.

At Berger and Green, we handle Social Security Disability cases, and we aim to help our clients in any way that we can. This is also why we offer our services on a contingency-fee-basis, meaning our clients owe us nothing up front or out of pocket. We only collect our legal service fees if we secure Social Security benefits in our client’s favor. This allows us to get to work for you immediately in the hopes of recovering benefits as soon as possible.

Whether you are considering applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Social Supplemental Income—or both—the process can prove time-consuming and overwhelming while you adjust to a new lifestyle. You should not have to feel any more restricted by your injuries by suffering without the help of a McCandless Social Security Disability lawyer. Call Berger and Green at (412) 661-1400 for your free, no-obligation consultation regardless of where you currently stand in the process of seeking benefits from the Social Security Administration.