This information may help claimants with representation, as well as claimants who are not represented by an attorney or non attorney representative. Understanding how the Social Security Disability system works can make the difference between winning or not winning the continuing disability benefits and backpay to which a person is entitled. To win a claim for ongoing and past due benefits, claimants should learn about the disability process to improve their chances of winning. |
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What resources are there to help me while I wait for disability benefits? How to stay afloat is a tricky issue in most cases. If you haven't gone to your local Dept of Social Services, you might want to consider doing that. I would advise most individuals to file an application for food stamps. You might also try to speak with an Adult Services Social Worker (every social services department is different, but at many DSS locations, they will actually have a dept titled "adult services") and see if you can be referred to local assistance programs. When I was a caseworker (in addition to being a former disability examiner, I am a former medicaid caseworker and a former food stamp caseworker), individuals in need could get referrals to private charitable organizations that could occasionally assist with rent, utility, and transportation assistance. Often, this assistance is on a need-evaluation basis and occasionally it is one-time help only, but it's worth checking into. You might also want to contact the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in your state. If you qualify for VR assistance, they can sometimes assist you in a variety of different ways, even to the extent of getting you examined by a physician to determine the extent of your limitations (the report of such an exam could be very useful in your disability case and voc rehab counselors are generally willing to provide such information when asked by either the disability examiner at dds or by your attorney or non-attorney representative). If you can't find the number for your states' Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, check back in a couple of weeks. In the links section of this website (on the "resource links" page), we will have links to all of the various Departments of Vocational Rehabilitation nationwide. *Something else I generally tell claimants is this: the wait for disability benefits is typically very long. Analyze your personal finances and plan for the long haul. For some people, this may mean cutting back on expenses or even looking at pulling equity out of their homes to make sure they can keep their bills paid while they wait for the process to play itself through. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation |
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SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY ATTORNEY, REPRESENTATIVE LAWYER LIST ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 5 ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 6 |
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If you suffer from a medical disability such as hip, neck, shoulder, ankle, wrist, back, or other joint problems, disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rsi or repetetive stress injury, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, dysthymia, depression or other mood disorders, congestive or chronic heart failure, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, high blood pressure (hypertension), seizure disorder, stroke, copd, emphysema, hearing loss or poor hearing, statutory blindness, peripheral field problems or other vision loss, clinical obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity or, simply, adhd, bipolar disorder or manic depression, panic disorder, schizophrenia, autism, head trauma, memory loss, low iq, mental retardation, learning disability, epilepsy, cancer, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, lupus, anxiety, inner ear problems, meniere's, vertigo or dizziness, kidney failure requiring dialysis or other renal problems, cirrhosis, hepatitis, or other liver disease, pancreatitis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, rsd or reflex sympathetic dystrophy, crohn's disease, sarcoidosis, peripheral vascular disease, lyme disease, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, hiv, aids, anemia, sickle cell, thyroid problems including hypothyroidism, esrd or end stage renal disease, reflux, gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease), cfids, muscular dystrophy, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or tachycardia, bradycardia or other arrhythmia and have initiated or been denied on a social security disability, or ssi, claim for benefits, this site may assist you with your case. Social Security Disability benefits are often difficult to win; however many claims for social security disability are lost simply because a claimant did not know enough about the disability process to their social security or ssi claim. For information re: representation on a social security disability or ssi claim (attorney or non attorney representative), see the "questions" & "how" pages. |
| Social Security Disability When should you get an attorney for a social security disability case? |