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(203) 853-4999The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers monthly benefits to disabled workers through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. A successful SSDI claim requires applicants to prove that they have a medically determinable condition that prevents them from working and had a sufficient work history in the past to qualify for the program.
Failure to satisfy either of these requirements will result in a denial of a claim. Although, receiving a denial does not have to mean the end of your pursuit of disability benefits. A local lawyer could provide more information about what you need to demonstrate to succeed in a Norwalk SSDI claim. If you have already submitted a claim and received a denial, an attorney could help you pursue an appeal to challenge the SSA’s decision.
Successful SSDI claims require proof of a disabling medical condition. Qualifying conditions may be physical, mental, or a combination of both. However, applicants must be able to demonstrate that their condition prevents them from participating in substantially gainful employment, which is defined as a job that earns at least $1,350 per month by Code of Federal Regulations §404.1505 for non-blind individuals and $2260 per month for statutorily blind individuals. These numbers change every year and increase to reflect cost of living increases. The current numbers can be found here.
The only way to prove these severe, medically determinable conditions is to provide valid medical records and vocational evidence to the SSA. Doctor’s offices must present medical records to you upon request and, in some states, cannot charge a fee if the request is for an SSDI claim. A Norwalk attorney could gather testimony from a vocational expert regarding an applicant’s inability to work any job to strengthen their SSDI claim.
Every time someone earns a paycheck, a portion of the income goes into the SSDI program. It is only when a sufficient number of payments have been made that an individual may qualify for SSDI.
More specifically, a person earns one work credit for every three months of full-time employment and must have earned at least 40 credits over their lifetime. This equates to 10 years of work history. Additionally, at least 20 of those credits must have been earned in the past 10 years.
Applicants who are not old enough to have earned these credits will have different work credit requirements and should consult with a lawyer in Norwalk before filing an SSDI claim.
There are three ways to submit an SSDI claim to the SSA. The simplest way is to use the online portal. This gives you time to provide information about yourself, your work history, and your current medical conditions.
It is also possible to start a claim over the phone. Finally, you can schedule an appointment at a local Social Security office to complete an application in person. This option has the advantage of working face-to-face with a Social Security representative who may be able to answer some common questions.
Regardless of the method of submission you choose, you should work with a local Social Security disability attorney to give your Norwalk SSDI claim the best chance of success.