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Applying for disability benefits is a complex and complicated process. Learn about the steps involved, the documentation you’ll need, and how to improve your chances of approval with sound guidance.
Before you file a claim for Social Security disability benefits, it is important that you know there are two social security disability benefit programs — Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSDI benefits are intended for those who are disabled or blind, and who are ‘insured’ by Social Security through payroll-funded FICA contributions over the course of their employment.
SSI benefits, on the other hand, are available to those who are blind, aged, or disabled and also have limited work history, income, and resources. SSI beneficiaries do not need to have contributed to FICA to receive benefits. In fact, this benefit type is also available for disabled children.
A consultation with an experienced Michigan Social Security Disability lawyer can help you understand which benefit program is right for you prior to applying for benefits. In certain cases, a person may qualify for both SSDI and SSI benefits simultaneously.
When applying for SSDI benefits, it is extremely important to know what you need to complete the application. The application must be both accurate and completed in full. Failing to include vital information and materials in your application could lead to a technical denial, causing further delay and frustration. Required information includes:
Once you have submitted an application for SSDI benefits, you may have to wait for several months before receiving a decision from the Social Security Administration. Waiting on Social Security disability benefits in Michigan can be particularly trying due to the backlog in scheduling and deciding these cases.
If you are denied Social Security Disability Insurance in Michigan, you have the right to appeal the decision within 60 days of the denial date. An experienced and dedicated attorney can guide you through what you need to know about appealing a Social Security Disability Insurance claim denial.
Once it’s been determined you are eligible for a disability program, the SSA will look at the severity of your medical conditions and the impact they have on your ability to work. To do this, the SSA uses a 5-Step Process to determine if your medical condition(s) disable you under their rules. It is a process they follow to determine if your condition(s), symptom(s), or side effect(s) to treatment are severe enough to keep you from working. These are the questions that the SSA will ask:
Your conditions must prevent you from carrying out Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). Simply put, this means that your income cannot exceed the fixed monthly limit, which is $1,550 a month for 2024. This amount increases each year there is a federal cost of living adjustment. If you are currently working and your gross income exceeds the monthly limit, you are not considered disabled.
It’s important to keep up to date on changes. If income was the reason you didn’t qualify for Social Security disability benefits in the past, your situation may have changed.
Social Security considers any physical and/or mental impairment that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more and impact your ability to work to be a severe impairment. If you have a severe impairment, then Social Security will evaluate the severity of your conditions under the last 3 steps of the Sequential Analysis.
The Social Security Administration has a Blue Book of Impairments, which lists conditions that may be considered a disability if you meet the specific requirements listed for that condition.
Can’t find your condition in the Blue Book of Impairments or don’t meet all the particular requirements of a listed condition? This doesn’t mean you can’t go forward with the process. SSA will review your condition and decide if you are still considered disabled under Step 4 and Step 5 of the 5-Step Process.
Social Security looks only at work you did in the past 5 years to determine what they call your “Past Relevant Work” (PRW). If your condition does not prevent you from performing your PRW on a regular and continuing basis, you are not considered disabled. However, if you are unable to perform your PRW, you move on to Step 5 of the 5-Step Process.
Finally, the SSA must determine if there are other jobs in the national economy that you could do. Social Security asks if you cannot do your past relevant work or have no past relevant work, then could you do some other work in the national economy? The evaluation of your ability to perform other work is impacted by your age, education and prior work. If your symptoms or side effects to medication prevent you from learning a new job or doing some other type of work full-time, you will likely be considered disabled.
As you can see, applying for Social Security Disability benefits can be a complicated and sometimes confusing process. But you don’t have to go it alone. The experienced Michigan-based Social Security disability attorneys at the Disability Attorneys of Michigan are skilled in helping people just like you obtain the benefits you deserve. Contact us today to get started with a free, no-obligation consultation.
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