How Much in Social Security Disability Benefits Can You Get?

What Are the Qualifications for Social Security Disability Benefits?

To be eligible for disability compensation, applicants must fulfill several requirements. You may qualify for benefits if you can answer “yes” to the following questions:

• Do you have a disabling condition estimated to last a minimum of 12 months or cause your death?
• Are you unable to do the work that you previously did?
• Are you also unable to perform any other type of work?
• Do you have a disabling condition that meets the criteria included in one of the SSA’s listed conditions?

If you are still working, you may be eligible for benefits. However, your average earnings must not exceed the SSA’s monthly maximum in the year you are submitting.

Minors may be eligible for the SSDI benefit if they have a qualifying physical or mental condition that will likely result in death or that will last for at least a year and substantially restrict their everyday activities.

Trying to figure out if you’re eligible on your own may be challenging. You could also be unsure how to demonstrate your eligibility on your application. As a result, having a knowledgeable SSD lawyer on your side may be beneficial throughout the process. 

Our competent social security disability attorney may assist you in identifying problems with your application and determining which supporting papers you should submit to avail of your disability benefit.

Listing of Impairments

The Listing of Impairments explains impairments that are severe enough to preclude an individual from engaging in any gainful activity for each major bodily system (or in the case of children under age 18 applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), severe enough to cause marked and severe functional limitations). Most of the mentioned disabilities are permanent or likely to result in death, or the listing gives a timeframe.

The evidence must establish that the impairment has lasted or is projected to remain for at least 12 months continuously for all other listings. The criteria in the Listing of Impairments apply to claims for disability benefits under the Social Security disability insurance program or payments under the SSI program.

Adult Listings (Part A)

The medical criteria in Part A of the Listing of Impairments apply to examining impairments in adults aged 18 and up. Suppose the illness processes have a similar effect on adults and younger children. In that case, the medical criteria in Part A can be used to evaluate impairments in children under the age of 18.

The medical criteria listed below apply to evaluating impairments in adults aged 18 and above. They may also apply to the examination of impairments in children under 18 if the disease affects adults and children in similar ways.

• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Special Senses and Speech
• Respiratory Disorders
• Cardiovascular System
• Digestive System
• Genitourinary Disorders
• Hematological Disorders
• Skin Disorders
• Congenital Disorders That Affect Multiple Body Systems
• Neurological Disorders
• Mental Disorders
• Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Diseases)
• Immune System Disorders

Childhood Listings (Part B)

Additional medical criteria in Part B of the Listing of Impairments apply solely to the evaluation of impairments in people under 18. Specific criteria in Part A fail to consider the unique consequences of illness in children, such as when the disease is exclusively seen in children or when the disease affects children and adults differently.

The medical criteria listed below are only for evaluating impairments in children under 18.

• Low Birth Weight and Failure to Thrive
• Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Special Senses and Speech
• Respiratory Disorders
• Cardiovascular System
• Digestive System
• Genitourinary Disorders
• Hematological Disorders
• Skin Disorders
• Endocrine Disorders
• Congenital Disorders That Affect Multiple Body Systems
• Neurological Disorders
• Mental Disorders
• Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Diseases)
• Immune System Disorders

What Are the Different Types of Social Security Disability Benefits Programs?

There are four primary disability benefits programs offered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), and you may be eligible for one of them. Our social security disability attorney may go over the various programs and their requirements in a free case review in further detail.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

If a person becomes disabled, has worked for at least five of the previous ten years, and can show that they cannot work, they may be eligible for SSDI benefits.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

If an applicant fulfills the SSA’s requirements for disability and has a low income but no work history, they may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. To qualify for these benefits, an individual must have no more than $2,000 in assets, and a couple must have no more than $3,000 in assets.

Benefits for Disabled Widows or Widowers

These benefits are available to those who are 60 years old or older and have become widows or widowers due to the death of a spouse. If the person has a qualifying medical condition, the age requirement may be decreased to 50 years. All other qualifying criteria remain unchanged.

Benefits for an Adult Disabled Child

If an adult child between the ages of 18 and 22 has a severe medical condition, they may be eligible for handicapped adult child benefits if the following conditions are met:

• They have a qualifying medical condition
• That medical condition limits their daily activities
• The medical condition is expected to last for at least 12 months or more or be fatal

We highly advise you to obtain legal counsel from our certified social security disability lawyer as soon as possible. We provide a no-obligation consultation to assist you in better understanding your legal choices and the SSD application procedure.

What is the Best Way to Apply for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Did you know you may apply for disability benefits online, over the phone, or at a Social Security Administration (SSA) office near you?

You should obtain a decision within five months if you completed everything correctly, if the SSA can readily acquire your medical documents, and if you match a listing in the SSA’s Blue Book. If you make a mistake on the application or it gets “lost in the masses,” you may have to wait a year or more to hear from the Social Security Administration about their decision.

If the Social Security Administration approves your claim, you should start receiving payments within a few months. You would be given back pay in addition to your monthly benefit if you waited more than five months to be approved. Back pay is a lump sum payment equal to the whole amount of monthly benefits you should have received if your application had been approved sooner.

Additionally, if you waited too long to file for disability benefits but could not work, you may be entitled to retroactive payments for past-due benefits. Depending on how long you wait to be authorized, you may be eligible for a five-figure back pay compensation.

What Are the Benefits of Getting Legal Representation?

During the procedure, you can hire a social security disability lawyer to represent you. Because many candidates find the application procedure daunting and confusing, you may wish to consult with a disability attorney before filing a claim.

Having the assistance of a professional social security disability attorney may go a long way toward enhancing your claim’s acceptance odds. Our social security disability attorney may assist you in various ways, including verifying that your application was completed correctly, providing new medical proof to the SSA, and, if necessary, defending your claim in court.

Finally, if you’re concerned about the cost of a social security disability attorney, keep in mind that you won’t be charged until your claim is successful. If your Social Security Disability claim is successful and you are entitled to back pay, an attorney may be paid 25% of your back pay, or $6,000, whichever is less.

You will never have to pay a social security disability attorney out of pocket, and consulting with an attorney will not affect your monthly payments.

How Much Money Will You Get From SSDI for Your Disability Claim?

Benefit amounts for SSDI are computed using a method that considers your whole earnings history. According to the formula, individual benefits may be increased yearly to reflect changes in the cost of living.

Your benefit will be calculated using your average wages over the years you’ve worked, not simply your most recent income.

If you are deemed disabled during the first 12 months of applying for SSDI, you may qualify for benefits.

Disability benefits, on the other hand, have a 5-month waiting period. The Social Security Administration will not pay you for the first five months of your disability.

For example, you applied on March 1, 2018, but say you became disabled on January 1, 2013. If the Social Security Administration agrees that you became disabled on January 1, 2013, you will be eligible for payments only from March 1, 2017, until the decision date.

Similarly, if you applied on March 1, 2018, claiming disability on January 1, 2018, and SSA agreed, you’d start receiving benefits on June 1, 2018 (remember, SSA doesn’t pay for the first five months of disability).

You may be eligible for a lump sum back benefit payment depending on when the court decides you became disabled.

How Much Money Will You Get From SSI for Your Disability Claim?

In 2021, the maximum Social Security benefit amount for an eligible person was $794 per month, and for an eligible couple, it was $1,190 per month. This is the maximum benefit you can get. Depending on your unique circumstances, this amount can be reduced.

SSI benefit is only available from the date of application onward. For example, you applied on March 1, 2018, but say you became disabled on January 1, 2013. If the Social Security Administration confirms that you became disabled on January 1, 2013, you will only be eligible for payments as of March 1, 2018, the day you applied.

For SSI benefits, there is no waiting period of five months.

What Happens if Your SSD Application is Denied?

The standards for obtaining Social Security Disability Benefits are pretty stringent. Only 30% of claims submitted are granted. If you’re turned down, you have two options: appeal the decision or give up and look for another job.

You may be denied for various reasons, some of which may be beyond your control. However, there are a few typical reasons why requests for assistance are refused such as:

• You make too much money
• The SSA thinks your disability is temporary or not severe enough.
• You don’t answer the phone or communicate with the SSA.
• You’ve refused to provide the required documents
• You are not attending therapy as prescribed
• Drug or alcohol addiction causes your disability
• You’ve been convicted of a crime
• You’ve lied on your application

Although there are exceptions to these criteria, these are some of the most common reasons claims are refused. Even if your claim is denied, with the aid of our reliable Monroe social security disability attorney, you can appeal to an administrative law judge to have it reassessed.

How Do You File an Appeal?

This is when things become a little tricky. It is a time-consuming process that is best handled by a social security disability attorney well- versed with federal and state law.

Any of the four stages of appeals can be assisted by our experienced social security disability attorney. We can assess your case to determine which of the following appeals is suitable for you:

Reconsideration

If you ask for reconsideration, your case will be reviewed by an unbiased medical practitioner who hasn’t been involved in your case before.

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

One of the most typical appeals is this one. Applicants who have been rejected an application must appear before an ALJ for a hearing. During this period, the ALJ reviews the case and decides whether to approve or deny it. More than 60% of the cases that ALJs evaluate are approved.

Appeals Council

If the ALJ refused your case again, you may seek for it to be reconsidered by the appeals council. Regrettably, the appeals committee picks cases for examination at random. This strategy is unlikely to succeed because it can be refused for various reasons. In most circumstances, it’s merely the last step before you may take the Social Security Administration to court.

Federal Court

If you’re fighting the Social Security Administration in federal court, you’ll need our social security disability attorney. We can assist you with serving a court summons on the Social Security Administration, writing a brief on your case, and more. Even if you have a decent chance of winning, just around 1% of cases make it to federal court.