SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY LAWYERS COLUMBIA, SC

SSDI is a critical benefit that can provide you with monetary benefits and health benefits. A qualified attorney will know exactly what evidence is necessary to prove your case and how to obtain it, so you are strongly encouraged to enlist the services of an attorney who specializes in disability law in proving your case.

For disabled individuals, there are four different types of SSDI benefits that you may be eligible for:

1. Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) for those who have worked five out of the last ten years.
2. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for those who meet the financial means test or are under the age 18.
3. Disabled Widows Benefits (DWB) for those who are 50 years or older but under 60, whose spouse earned enough work credits to qualify for Social Security benefits, and who became disabled within seven years after their spouse passed away.
4. Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits for adults, including special needs children, who became disabled before reaching age 22 and whose parent began receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits, or whose parent has died. The disabled adult cannot be married and must be dependent on the parent.

Whether or not the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers you eligible for SSDI benefits depends on if you meet the agency’s definition of “disabled.” The agency will only consider you disabled if:

1. You are unable to do work you’ve done in the past 15 years or any other full-time work in the national economy; and
2. The agency determined you can’t adjust to other full-time work because of your physical and/or mental condition(s); and
3. Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months (or result in death).

For children under age 18, the agency’s definition of “disability” compares the child’s functioning to that of a same age child without a disability.

The medical evidence of your physical and/or mental impairment(s) is critical for proving that you meet the legal definition of disability. Our attorneys can help guide you through the initial application and appeals process. They know what to look for and how to identify mistakes you may have made on your initial application, and they can also help gather the evidence you need to present it correctly to an Administrative Law Judge.

Our experienced and compassionate attorneys can help you get the benefits you deserve! They serve clients at all levels of the process, including the initial application and appeal through the Administrative Hearing level, District Court level, and Circuit Court level. Our attorneys can also help direct you towards other types of benefits that you may be eligible for, such as community care programs, Long Term Disability, State or Federal retirement plans, worker’s compensation, or Veteran’s Disability Benefits.

To learn more about Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, contact our office for a free telephone consultation.

See also “Top 4 Myths about Social Security Disability Insurance,” written by our very own Attorney Elizabeth Von Keller.