How Do I Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits in Franklin and Nationwide?
To qualify for disability, you need to show that your health prevents you from working any job, but that’s not the only requirement.
Social Security runs two disability programs with their own additional qualifications.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is for people who have worked and paid into Social Security but find themselves unable to work due to health conditions.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is based on your financial need and health issues, not your work record. You don’t need a lengthy work history, but you must meet certain financial requirements.
Here is a closer look at both programs:
| Requirement | SSDI | SSI |
| Having a health problem that stops you from working | YES | YES |
| Having a health problem that will last 12 months or the rest of your life | YES | YES |
| A history of working, paying Social Security taxes and earning enough “work credits” | YES | NO |
| Limited financial resources | NO. You can qualify for SSDI no matter how much you have in savings, investments and other assets. | YES. Qualifying individuals can only have $2,000 in countable financial resources. Couples are limited to $3,000. |
| Benefits | SSDI | SSI |
| Monthly payments | YES, you will receive monthly payments calculated using your past income and a Social Security formula. | YES, you will receive monthly payments that start at a national maximum and get reduced based on other income, support or benefits you have. |
| Medical coverage | YES, you can enroll in Medicare once approved for SSDI after a waiting period. | YES, you can enroll in Medicaid after approval for SSI without waiting. |
If you aren’t sure which benefit you might qualify for, we can help. Tell us more about your situation. We’ll give you an idea of what to expect from the Social Security Disability process, no obligation.
Get started with a FREE disability claim consultation.
What Evidence Do I Need When I Apply for Disability Benefits in Franklin?
Even if you think it’s obvious you meet the requirements for SSDI or SSI, you cannot assume the Social Security Administration (SSA) will see things that way.
You will need plenty of evidence, including medical records and information about how your health issues affected you when you tried to work.
Items that can help strengthen your disability claim include:
- Your doctor’s diagnosis
- Results of psychiatric and psychological evaluations
- Imaging results, like X-rays and MRIs
- Reports of hospitalizations or emergency room visits
- Information about treatments you have tried and whether they improved your symptoms
- A list of your prescription medications
- Assistive devices or technology you need
- Your doctor’s assessment of your everyday functioning
- Information about accommodations you needed at work, like extra breaks or a reduced workload
- Evidence of disruptions to your work, like frequent missed days
- Statements from friends, family and anyone who personally knows you and has seen how your health limits you
If you apply for SSDI, be prepared to verify your work history. If you apply for SSI, you need records showing your household financial means.
Gathering all this evidence isn’t easy, especially if you have gone to multiple doctors, your health picture is complicated, and your strength and stamina are limited by your health.
Disability advocates at Hanley Disability can lighten your work.
You can focus on your health. We can focus on making your case for disability benefits strong.
You won’t pay an advocate’s fee until you win benefits.
Can a Franklin Disability Advocate Help Me Appeal if Social Security Denies My Claim?
If your disability claim gets denied, feeling discouraged is natural. But you should understand that getting denied is also normal.
Only around 35% of applications for disability benefits have succeeded on the first try in Indiana, according to recent Social Security numbers.
You get several chances to appeal the SSA’s decision, and our Franklin disability advocates will be there for you.
Our team can:
- Review your denial letter and see why Social Security rejected your claim
- Request reconsideration, the first stage of appeal, within the 60-day deadline
- Strengthen your file with new, updated and additional evidence
- Prepare you to answer questions in a disability hearing with an administrative law judge
- Represent you at your hearing
- Question expert witnesses called to your hearing by the SSA
Applying for disability benefits in Franklin or anywhere in Indiana is hard, but appeals are even more difficult to navigate. Get experienced disability advocates to back up your claim.
You are going through a tough time. You deserve an advocate who will treat your claim with the individual attention it deserves.
This is about your future and financial stability. Don’t trust your SSDI or SSI claim to just anybody.
Let Hanley Disability help you start taking back control of your life.
