When most people think about getting Social Security benefits for a disability they tend to focus on things like back injuries and other physical injuries or conditions. A qualifying disability for Social Security benefits also includes mental disorders. Most mental disorders also prevent someone from working, which is the main requirement for collecting benefits.
Understanding the eligibility requirements, application procedures, and appeals process can be confusing. It is always best to hire a Los Angeles mental disability lawyer who specializes in Social Security to not only explain the process but to also guide you through it. The SSA offers two types of benefits for disabled workers, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
To qualify for SSDI, you must have paid enough into the system through working. SSI is for low-income people, the blind, and children. There are separate eligibility requirements for each but you have to be disabled to qualify for either, meaning you have some condition that prevents you from earning a certain monthly income as a full-time worker and that must last for at least 12 months.
Social Security has a list of guidelines that must be followed precisely and they also have certain conditions that they consider to be worth of collecting benefits. For this reason, most claims are denied at the initial level and then you have the option to appeal. It is a proven fact that applicants that hire Los Angeles mental disability lawyer get the best results.
Social Security is going to want a lot of information from you about the onset of your disability, doctors you have seen and their addresses, and the prescriptions you take, and all this must be backed up with medical evidence, not just from your doctor but their doctors too.