If you fall ill or develop a condition that restricts you from working to get income, then you have the right to file for a disability application. There are a number of state programs as well as federal programs that only provide assistance to people who are disabled. Disability can be of physical, mental or psychological nature. The two most common disability programs are the SSDI and the SSI. Others are like Medicare and Medicaid.
Supplemental security income or the SSI is a program offer financial assistance to individuals who are low income earners. The minimum age is 65years. They mainly cater for blind and disabled individuals. They offer cash benefits for every day needs such as foods, shelter and clothes. It is funded by tax revenues. The social security disability insurance or the SSDI is funded by the taxes paid for social security.
The application process involves a few stages. You first need to evaluate yourself as to whether you qualify as a disability applicant. You need to determine which one of the benefits you are eligible to apply since they both have different criteria of qualification. They also have a very strict disability definition that has been clearly stated by the SSA also known as the social security administration.
After you know just where you need to apply, you need to determine your means of applying. You are allowed to submit your first stage social security benefits application online to the SSA. You can also do it over the phone. You can also visit your local SSA offices in person and make your application from there.
You, however need to be sure that you understand their definition of disability and you are actually qualified to apply. This is because more and more people are applying for disability claims. This has automatically led to a high rate of denial. It is estimated that 60% of the application are denied.
The best way to ensure that you qualify as an applicant is by making sure you have all your paper work in place. This includes all the medical records. It is also advisable to contact a disability attorney before you submit your initial application if you can. They can be of great help in the entire process. You also need to ensure that you understand the whole application process and you strictly abide by the rules.
You also need to ensure that you are familiar with the social security administration offices in your region since this is where you will make your application from. Apart from the headquarters, there are 1,300 SSA offices located at different regions. The SSA also has tele-service centers that are 37 in total. You just have to know which office represents your regions applications.
Should it happen that your disability application is declined. You need not worry as the process of application has a number of appeal levels. All these levels have very high chances of reconsidering the decline decision and you will get the disability benefit you are entitled to. Again the presence of a disability attorney is very important for this matter.
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