SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY UPDATES

WHAT IS SSDI?   SSDI stands for Social Security Disability Insurance. Since 1956, the US government has required most workers to contribute to a mandatory disability plan administered by the Social Security Administration.  Workers contribute approximately 7.5% of their income (listed as FICA tax on your pay stub) and employers match the amount.  The money goes into a trust account under each worker's Social Security number.  Then, if a disability occurs, the worker can apply for disability benefits. What Are Basic Requirements for Disability?   Assuming a person has worked long enough and recently enough to be covered, here are the basic rules for getting SSDI benefits: at least 1 severe impairment that is medically determinable (provable) the impairment will last a minimum of 12 consecutive months  the impairment is severe enough that the claimant has stopped working full-time What Steps Must You Take To Collect SSDI Benefits?   You ...

Are you out of work and disabled?  You need a Survival Guide.  Consider my website a Disability Survival Guide.  I attempt to answer questions that you must know the answers to.  After reading my website, you may still be confused about the complexity of Social Security disability.  If so, please call me.  (256) 799-0297.  There is no charge or obligation for this phone call. My website provides answers to many common questions about Social Security Disability benefits.  Take advantage of what we know, our experience and expertise to save time and work and move more quickly to getting your benefits. Simply by filling out a few lines on our CONTACT US form (at our homepage, this website), one of our partners (yes partner) will review your information confidentially and contact you with a free case evaluation.  We'll tell you how to get started, what pitfalls to avoid, and what you need to do.  And your consultation is absolutely ...

You decide to represent yourself in your Social Security disability appeal.  What cost can you expect to pay out of pocket? The biggest cost will probably be purchasing medical records.  Yes, you will have to purchase all your medical records.  This is something your attorney/representative would do for you if you were represented.  But if you represent yourself, you pay for all records upfront. Most doctors, hospitals and other providers will charge a set fee, usually called a "retrieval fee" just to locate your records.  Then, they will charge you $1 per page for the first 25 pages, then 50 cents per page thereafter. So, let's say you have 175 pages of records with Dr. A.  You pay $17.50 as a retrieval fee.  Then you pay $25 for the first 25 pages.  Then you pay $75 for the remainder of the records.  Dr. A. has just charged you $117.50 for your records. Not too bad, you say.  But wait.  You must obtain records from every d...