What is Social Security Disability?

Understanding Your Benefits and Rights

Binder & Binder® Can Help

When you can't work because you have become disabled, you are essentially experiencing an enforced retirement due to a disability. But not the kind of retirement you might have been hoping to enjoy. Your career plans, financial stability, and daily routines are suddenly disrupted, often leaving you wondering how you'll manage financially while coping with your health challenges.

However, your disability doesn't need to be a disaster. Social Security Disability (SSD) insurance pays monthly cash benefits to people who have paid enough FICA taxes to qualify, and are now unable to work because of a disability. These benefits represent a crucial financial lifeline during one of life's most challenging transitions.

The Benefits You've Earned

Social Security Disability is not a welfare program or a handout—it's an insurance program you've been paying into throughout your working life. Every paycheck you've received has had FICA taxes deducted, a portion of which funds the Social Security Disability Insurance program. These benefits are your right as a taxpaying American worker who now faces the challenge of a disability.

The benefits of successful Social Security Disability claims include:

Monthly Income

Your monthly benefit amount is calculated based on your average lifetime earnings covered by Social Security. While the amount varies by individual, these payments provide crucial ongoing income when you can no longer earn a paycheck.

Medicare Coverage

After a 29-month waiting period, Social Security Disability eligibility also provides you with Medicare benefits—even if you are under age 65. Having health insurance from Medicare is invaluable when your disability requires ongoing medical treatment and care.

Dependent Benefits

In many cases, certain family members—such as your spouse or minor children—may qualify for benefits based on your work record when you receive Social Security Disability.

Protection of Retirement Benefits

Being on Social Security Disability can actually help protect your regular Social Security retirement benefits. The years you receive disability benefits won't count against you as "zero earning years" when calculating your eventual retirement benefits.

Qualifying for Social Security Disability

The Social Security Administration uses a specific definition of disability that differs from other programs. To qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, you must:

  1. Be unable to perform substantial gainful activity (work) due to your medical condition(s)

  2. Have a condition that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death

  3. Be unable to adjust to other types of work considering your age, education, and experience

  4. Have accumulated enough work credits through your employment history

These criteria may seem straightforward, but the application and approval process is notoriously complex and challenging to navigate without experienced guidance.

Why Professional Representation Matters

Many people turn to attorneys or advocates for help with obtaining Social Security Disability benefits. At Binder & Binder®, the Social Security Disability Advocates, we ask people to contact us as soon as you and your doctors agree that your disability is likely to last a long time.

The statistics are sobering: approximately 65-70% of initial Social Security Disability applications are denied. However, with professional representation from Binder & Binder®, your chances of approval increase significantly. Our decades of experience navigating the system means we understand:

  • What medical evidence is most persuasive

  • How to properly document your limitations

  • Which forms must be completed and how

  • The critical deadlines that must be met

  • How to prepare you for questions during the process

  • The strategies that lead to successful outcomes

The Advantage of Early Intervention

If you are thinking about applying for Social Security Disability benefits, talk with us at Binder & Binder® before you begin the process. Call us before you apply—let us get you through the complicated Social Security Disability application questions.

Our fee is the same if we file the application for you or if you come to us at the last moment. However, if we handle your Social Security Disability application from day one, we don't have to waste time fixing or correcting any misunderstandings or ambiguities you or another disability representative may have created in your answers to these complicated Social Security Disability forms.

It's not true, as so many people think, that you must apply for Social Security Disability first on your own. We can do that for you. Our fees are strictly based on your success. While it is your money, our fees are paid out of your Disability award and approved by the Social Security Administration. As we say in our commercials, "We'll deal with the government. You have enough to worry about."

The Social Security Disability Process

The path to receiving Social Security Disability benefits typically involves several stages:

Initial Application

The first step is filing your application with detailed information about your medical condition, work history, and how your disability impacts your ability to function. This stage usually takes 3-5 months for a decision.

Reconsideration

If your initial application is denied (as most are), you have the right to request a reconsideration, where a different examiner reviews your case. This typically takes another 3-4 months.

Administrative Hearing

If reconsideration is unsuccessful, you can request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. This is often the most successful stage for applicants with proper representation. Current wait times for hearings average 12-18 months in many locations.

Appeals Council

If the Administrative Law Judge denies your claim, you can request a review by the Appeals Council, which examines whether the judge followed proper procedures.

Federal Court

As a final option, your case can be taken to Federal Court for review if all administrative remedies have been exhausted.

At each of these stages, having Binder & Binder® on your side means you have advocates who understand the specific requirements and strategies most likely to succeed.

Talking With Binder & Binder®

At Binder & Binder®, the Social Security Disability Advocates, we will file your Social Security Disability claim carefully and professionally. That's going to take a big weight off your shoulders. If you have already filed for Social Security Disability, we will put your claim back on track.

Here are a few of the things you'll learn about Social Security Disability when we talk:

  • What the specific requirements are for Social Security Disability eligibility

  • Whether your particular situation meets those eligibility criteria

  • How our proven process works to maximize your chances of approval

  • Why you don't have to face the complicated Social Security Disability process alone

  • How our advocates handle the government bureaucracy so you can focus on your health

You'll get clear answers to your questions, and other frequently asked questions about Social Security Disability. Our consultation is free, and you'll gain valuable information about your options regardless of whether you decide to work with us.

Learn More About Social Security Disability

Your path to financial stability during disability begins with a simple conversation. Call us at 1-800-4-BINDER (1-800-424-6337) or complete our online contact form. You can put our powerful, professional and personal expertise to work for you.

With Binder & Binder® as your advocates, you gain not just representation but a dedicated team committed to securing the benefits you've earned through years of work. Let us handle the complicated legal and administrative aspects of your disability claim while you focus on what matters most—your health and well-being.

Binder & Binder® - America's Most Successful Social Security Disability Advocates®