Crawford County
Social Security Disability Lawyer

On This Page

1. The Role of Social Security Disability
2. Medical Eligibility for Social Security Disability
3. Financial Eligibility for Social Security Disability
4. Social Security Disability Statistics
5. Our Attorneys are Ready to Help

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

January 01, 2024

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

With an increasing number of people seeking disability benefits, getting the help of a Crawford County Social Security Disability lawyer can help with filing an effective claim.

When you are seeking Social Security Disability benefits, you may want to contact Berger and Green for assistance.

The Role of Social Security Disability

Social Security Disability benefits are available for disabled individuals who are unable to work due to long-term illness or injury. These benefits may be available in the form of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Disabled persons and their families rely on these monthly financial benefits to pay their household expenses and remain financially stable during a challenging time in their lives. You may take it for granted that if you become disabled and otherwise qualify, you will be able to rely on Social Security Disability for support.

Unfortunately, the process of getting Social Security Disability benefits can be challenging. Many applicants receive an initial denial of their applications. Even the smallest of errors on your application can lead to the denial of your claim. To challenge that denial, applicants then must go through an often lengthy appeals process.

Berger and Green Can Help You

Ensuring that you fulfill all application requirements and provide sufficient evidence to support your claim can be critical to a successful application. By enlisting the help of a Crawford County Social Security Disability lawyer from Berger and Green at the outset of your case, you may be able to gather and submit the type and quantity of the evidence that you need.

Medical Eligibility for Social Security Disability

Whether adults are applying for Social Security Disability in the form of SSDI or SSI, they must meet the definition of disability used by the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Under this definition, adults must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment. Additionally, doctors must expect the impairment to last at least 12 months or end in death.

Medically Determinable Impairment

A “medically determinable impairment” means that a medical professional must use clinical and diagnostic laboratory techniques to show that you have an abnormality.

Typically, you can prove that you have a medically determinable impairment by submitting the following as part of your disability application contact information so that Social Security can request:

• Lab test results
• Records of your medical diagnoses
• All applicable medical records

However, SSA also may require you to undergo one or more examinations by doctors or other medical professionals that they employ if they need additional information or medical opinions about your impairments to evaluate your claim.

Substantial Gainful Activity

“Substantial gainful activity” refers to work that you perform to earn money or activities for which people customarily earn money. If you earn more than a certain amount of money each month, less any disability-related expenses, SSA will find that you have engaged in substantial gainful activity.

SSA typically adjusts the monthly earnings that you must have for your work to qualify as substantial gainful activity each year.

Financial Eligibility for Social Security Disability

Receiving benefits under the SSDI program does not require you to meet any financial eligibility requirements. You can have any level of income or amount of resources or assets and still qualify for SSDI, as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements for these benefits.

If you are applying for SSI, however, you must meet strict income and resource limits, as SSI benefits are only for those individuals who have limited household income and assets.

All household income from earnings or unearned financial benefits counts toward your income for purposes of SSI.

Income Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the income rule.

For instance, your first $20 of monthly income from any source does not count toward your monthly income. Your first $65 of any earnings in a month, and half of all other earnings, does not count toward your income. Other types of benefits also may not count as income, such as SNAP benefits.

Likewise, to qualify for SSI benefits, you must have assets or resources that are worth less than $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Resources generally are things that you own that are worth money, such as:

• Real estate
• Bank accounts
• Cash
• Vehicles

However, some types of assets are not countable assets for the purposes of SSI, such as the home that you live in and one vehicle that you use for transportation.

Social Security Disability Statistics

In 2019, the SSA reported that it paid disability benefits to almost 10 million people. Disabled workers accounted for about 89% of these disabled beneficiaries.

Furthermore, about one in every seven disabled beneficiaries received benefits from the SSI program.

According to the SSA, in the state of Pennsylvania, over 22% of the population receives disability benefits.

Our Attorneys are Ready to Help

When you are injured or ill and unable to return to work, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability. The application process, however, can be lengthy and may require the submission of substantial amounts of evidence to SSA.

Fortunately, you do not have to go through this process on your own. A Crawford County Social Security Disability lawyer can help you with your application and submit necessary evidence.

Social Security Disability benefits can be necessary to support you and your family as you are struggling with a devastating diagnosis or injury. The attorneys of Berger and Green will work with you to prepare the most effective Social Security Disability application possible.

You can call us at (412) 661-1400 and learn how to get started on the application process.