Did SSA Deny Your Disability Claim?

Many people suffer injuries or disabilities that impair their full capacity to work or eliminates that capacity altogether. The Federal Social Security Administration (SSA) offers two forms of social security disability payments to people who’ve lost their capacity to work: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Both options require that the claimant (injured person) be unable to work because of their injury or disability.

Additionally, the state of Ohio also has a program that supplements SSI payments for some SSI recipients. To qualify for Ohio disability benefits, you must meet the standards set out by the Ohio Division of Disability Determination.

If you’ve applied for but been denied an SSI or SSDI claim in Ohio, you should contact a social security disability attorney about why that might have occurred and what options you may still have available.

Why disability applications are denied

The SSA statutes provide disability benefits for people who are unable to engage in “Substantial Gainful Activity” (SGA), but also maintain several exceptions to eligibility that will disqualify an applicant:

1. They have too much income. Some applicants continue to earn an income after becoming disabled. Both SSI and SSDI take into consideration the applicant’s income when determining their eligibility, and will deny benefits to those who earn too much.
2. The injury isn’t sufficiently disabling. The SSA requires injuries to impair work capacity for at least 12 months (unless it also causes blindness).
3. Claimant-caused denials – where the applicant’s behavior disqualifies them from benefits – include failing to cooperate, failing to communicate, and personally causing the disability through drug or alcohol misuse, among others.

Applicants in Ohio must have held a Social Security-covered job for a specified period (usually ten years) and also qualify under the SSA’s definition of disability.

Getting help for Denied SSA Claims

When the SSA denies benefits, many people give up their claim unnecessarily, not understanding that social security disability lawyers can possibly reverse the SSA decision. Social security lawyers skilled can help solve many of the issues that may have caused the denial:

• They can determine why SSA rejected the application and modified it to become compliant.
• They can present it at an administrative hearing.
• They can present it at a hearing in Federal Court if that becomes necessary.

If you or your loved one are unable to work because of an injury or disability and are looking for a skilled Social Security disability lawyer in Ohio, we can help you get the financial support you need as you heal or adjust to your new living condition. Call us today.