Qualify For Disability In Toledo
From applying to appealing, Levine Benjamin Law Firm has helped 100,000 people win disability benefits.
Qualify for Disability in Toledo
If you have health problems and can’t work in Toledo, Social Security Disability benefits are supposed to be a financial lifeline you can rely on.
Qualifying for benefits is rarely easy, though. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has strict standards. Most applicants get rejected the first time they apply.
That’s why you should work with a Toledo disability lawyer, even if you think that you obviously qualify for disability.
The challenge is how they evaluate disability claims. It’s not enough to have an illness or condition that makes it difficult to work.
You have to show nearly complete inability to work. Social Security looks for proof that:
- You can’t keep working because of severe health problems.
- Switching jobs isn’t an option due to your health, age and other factors.
- Your health and employment situation will last 12 months or more.
It’s difficult to prove all of these criteria, but not impossible.
The Levine Benjamin team has helped more than 100,000 people in Toledo and across the state of Ohio.
We know what the SSA looks for when they evaluate someone’s health to determine whether to award disability benefits.
A Toledo disability attorney can guide you through this process and help you back up your claim with strong evidence.
From applying to appealing, we help you every step of the way.
What would you like to do?
Types of Social Security Disability Benefits
Social Security runs two different disability benefits programs. There’s Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
These programs serve similar purposes to help people with life-altering health problems, but there are important differences in who qualifies for each one based on their work and financial backgrounds.
Let’s take a closer look:
| SSDI | SSI | |
| Work History | This benefit is for people who have been working and paying into Social Security for a significant time. | There are no work requirements for this benefit. You can qualify for SSI even if you’ve never worked before. |
| Asset Limitations | SSDI recipients can have any amount of other assets besides income from work, like savings, investments, property and more. | SSI is a need-based program, so there are asset limitations because you have to demonstrate need: You can’t have money or property worth more than $2,000 for individuals or $3,000 for couples, but your primary home and one car don’t count. |
| Payments | Social Security uses a formula that factors in your past income to decide your monthly payments. It’s different for everybody. Usually, it pays more than SSDI. | SSI recipients all get the same maximum payment, set nationally, reduced to account for other benefits or support you receive. |
| Medical Coverage | SSDI recipients can enroll in Medicare after getting approved for disability benefits and going through a waiting period. | SSI recipients can enroll in Medicaid. There’s no waiting period once disability payments are approved. |
Most people apply for one of these benefits or the other based on their work history, but there are some cases where people can qualify for both SSDI and SSI.
Our Toledo Social Security Disability lawyers will help you explore all of your options.
Does My Condition Qualify for Disability in Toledo?
Social Security has a list of specific ailments that can qualify for disability benefits that people call the “Blue Book.”
It lists dozens of health issues and how claims examiners evaluate them, but you can still qualify for SSDI or SSI if you don’t have one of those ailments.
The most important factor is how your health problems affect you and your ability to work and support yourself. Your disability claim relies on your individual symptoms and how they hinder your daily activities.
Some conditions our Toledo disability lawyers see often include:
- Back pain
- Bipolar disorder
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- Lung impairments
- Multiple sclerosis
- Musculoskeletal diseases
- Neck pain
- Osteoarthritis
- PTSD
- Rheumatoid arthritis
We know it’s stressful to describe your medical condition and how it affects you.
It’s especially hard if you’re suffering from a mental illness, a hard-to-explain autoimmune disease, or a disease people think you should just be able to push through the pain and deal with.
Our experienced Ohio disability attorneys will do everything they can to help you show Social Security that you qualify for benefits, no matter which specific health issue you’re suffering from.
When Should I Talk to a Toledo Disability Lawyer?
You should talk to a Toledo disability lawyer as soon as you think you can’t return to work because of health issues.
Some attorneys will tell you to figure out if you qualify and put in an application for benefits on your own.
If you hire a big national disability representative company, your case file might get bounced around to different people who never take the time to understand your disability claim.
Our disability lawyers for people in Toledo and Northwest Ohio don’t work like that.
We want to support you from the first step of this process, including helping you learn more about disability benefits and how to show the SSA that you qualify.
We can also help you navigate tricky situations, like if you’re already receiving another kind of benefit, and you’re not sure if you can qualify for disability as well.
Social Security doesn’t make it easy to win the benefits you need to pay your bills and stay afloat financially, so don’t try to qualify for SSDI or SSI on your own.
Questions About Qualifying for Disability? Our Toledo Disability Lawyers Can Answer Them
For specific questions about your individual situation, contact Levine Benjamin and schedule a free consultation with our team.
To see our answers to some of the most common questions people have about disability benefits, read on…
Does my ailment qualify me for Social Security Disability?
Your specific ailment isn’t the primary issue when it comes to qualifying for Social Security Disability.
You need to be able to show that you can’t work due to your health and that you’ll be unable to work for a long time.
The key is showing that you can’t just work at your current or most recent job, but any job at all. If a claims examiner thinks you just need to transition to a different kind of work, you’ll be denied benefits.
Can I receive disability for mental health issues?
Disability isn’t only for physical issues. If you suffer from a mental health impairment, like PTSD or depression, you may also qualify for benefits. Mental health issues are common reasons people get disability benefits.
But these cases have specific challenges. Many people live with mental health issues and can work. Documenting mental conditions takes special care. Convincing claims examiners can be difficult.
A skilled Toledo disability lawyer helps you show exactly how your mental health problems interfere with your ability to work and support yourself.
Can I qualify for disability if I work?
You can work a small amount while receiving disability benefits, but you have to be careful about it.
If you’re working while trying to qualify for Social Security Disability, you need to make sure that your earnings are under Social Security’s substantial gainful activity (SGA) threshold, which is a monthly earnings limit that the government adjusts every year.
How do I know if I qualify for SSDI or SSI?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is for applicants with a significant work history who have paid into Social Security.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) doesn’t require an applicant to have worked at all, but the program has strict income and asset limitations.
Our Toledo disability attorneys can help you figure out which benefit you qualify for. We can even assist you if you’re one of the rare claimants who can receive both types of benefits.
Can I qualify for disability if I’m on unemployment?
When you apply for disability, you’re saying you can’t work. When you apply for unemployment, you’re saying you’re actively looking for work.
These programs seem opposed to each other, but there may be some situations where someone can qualify for disability even as they receive unemployment benefits—for example if you expect to work small amounts that fit under Social Security’s limits to qualify for disability.