Social Security Disability Lawyer in Shreveport / Bossier City – Louisiana

Many Americans believe disability only affects those who are older and won’t affect them personally. However, thousands of young people are injured or killed every year due to random accidents or health concerns. In fact, more than one in four adults in their 20’s become incapacitated. This means they may have to rely on Social Security disability benefits to supplement their income long before reaching retirement age.

Whatever your age, if you are unable to work because of your disability, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Unfortunately, obtaining these benefits is not an easy process, and the vast majority of initial applications are denied. What’s more, it can be a very time-consuming and mentally draining process to achieve these benefits. The process is much more bearable, however, with the help of an experienced local disability attorney. Your attorney can help you through the many steps of the claims process and make sure you have the best possible chance at success.

At the Greenwald Law Firm, we assist clients in Shreveport and the surrounding areas in getting the disability benefits they require to live a comfortable life. Attorney Joey Greenwald Jr. has over 20 years of experience helping clients achieve the outcomes that are best for their individual cases. To schedule a free consultation with a Shreveport disability lawyer, call 318-219-7867 today.

What is Social Security Disability?

The federal social insurance program, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), provides benefits to you and specific family members if you are “insured.” This means you have worked long enough and paid enough into the system to qualify for such benefits. Employees work and pay Social Security taxes on their wages to be eligible for benefits. The program helps replace some of the income lost to people who cannot work due to a handicap.

Do I Qualify for SSD Benefits?

If you can’t work due to a mental or physical injury, you may need help to provide for yourself and your family. In this case,  you may be eligible for SSD benefits, should your injury keep you from working for at least 12 months.

The following are a few examples of both physical and mental injuries:

• Injury to the back or neck
• Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Cancer
• Heart and lung problems

Qualifying Questions Social Security Administration Asks

There are five questions the Social Security Administration (SSA) asks to see if you qualify for SSD:

1. Do you have a job? If you work, your average monthly earnings must not exceed the monthly limit.
2. Is your situation critical? Only if the SSA determines your ailment or injury prevents you from doing basic work-related tasks are you considered disabled.
3. Is your condition debilitating or listed as an impairment on the Social Security Administration’s list of impairments? The Social Security Administration keeps a detailed list of debilitating impairments. Your condition must be listed to qualify.
4. Are you capable of doing the work you did previously? Even if you are unable to return to your prior job, the SSA assesses whether you can perform a similar or modified job.
5. What else can you do? SSA reviews your age, abilities, education, and previous work experience to determine eligibility.

Depending on how you answer each of these questions, you may be considered for SSD benefits by the Social Security Administration. 

At the Greenwald Law Firm, our disability lawyer Shreveport can help guide you through this process. Whether you’ve already been refused or need assistance in your initial application for SSD benefits, our Social Security attorneys are here to assist you. For a free consultation, give us a call or complete our online intake form today.

How To Apply for Social Security Disability

The process of applying for SSD benefits is complicated and requires a sizable amount of paperwork to be completed. If your application is denied the first time, filing for an appeal will take much longer, meaning you won’t get benefits for months. Getting the help of an experienced local Social Security disability lawyer ups your chances of being approved the first time around.

Individuals who become disabled and are unable to work should apply for Social Security Disability benefits as soon as possible. To do so, you can call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213, stop by your local SSA office, or go to the SSA’s official website and apply for SSD benefits.

Following your application, a claims point of contact will be assigned to your case. They are in charge of handling the paperwork needed to forward your claim to Disability Determination Services (DDS). DDS makes the initial determination about whether you meet the SSA’s requirements to be considered disabled. The final step involves your claims representative determining the disability programs you may qualify for and the amount of benefits you should get.

However, the process rarely moves along this smoothly, as Social Security disability cases are frequently denied. But do not give up! Your local disability attorney at the Greenwald Law Firm is ready to help you.

Types of Social Security Disability Benefits

There are several different types of benefits available to those who are determined eligible, each of which are listed below:

Disability Insurance Benefits (SSD or SSDI)

The SSA’s most well-known benefit is paid to applicants who:

• Are eligible because they earned enough Social Security credits
• Have a disability that’s lasted or will last at least 12 months or inevitably lead to death and they cannot work as a result.

Disabled Adult Child Benefits (DAC)

These types of rewards are available to persons who meet the following criteria:

• 18 years of age or older
• Unmarried
• Disability began before age 22
• A parent of yours gets Social Security payments or was covered by Social Security benefits at their time of death

Disabled Widow or Widower (DWB)

The following is expected of the applicant in this category:

• Death certificate or proof of the worker’s death
• Birth certificate/proof of birth
• Certificate of Marriage
• W-2 forms and/or self-employment tax returns for previous year
• Forms that describe your medical condition and allow disclosure of information to the SSA
• If not born in the United States, proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status
• If enrolled in the military before 1968, a copy of discharge papers
• If applying as surviving divorced spouse, your final divorce decree

Benefits for Disabled Children

Social Security Disability Work Credit Requirements

To be eligible for SSD, you must have first accumulated a certain number of credits based on your taxable job.

To qualify for the recent work test, you must be 31 years or older and have worked for at least five of the previous ten years. This means, before becoming disabled, you must have earned 20 credits in the previous ten years.

If you are between the ages of 24 and 30, you must have worked for at least half of the time since turning 21. This means you must have worked for at least one and a half years during the three-year period prior to being incapacitated or have acquired six credits if you are 24 or younger.

Appealing for Social Security Disability

If you have already applied for and subsequently been denied Social Security Disability benefits, you may still qualify. In fact, even when a claim is valid, the majority of Social Security Disability claims are initially denied. If your claim is denied, you receive a notice of denial with information about your appeal options and a deadline for filing it. You have 60 days from the date you get your decision letter to file an appeal.

To minimize unnecessary delays, the applicant should request a hearing as soon as they receive the denial letter. However, when interaction between the applicant, representative, and judge is permitted, the odds of qualifying increase greatly.

Our Social Security Disability lawyers at Greenwald Law Firm are ready to help you file an appeal if your claim was denied or you did not receive adequate compensation.

Why Do I Need an SSD Lawyer?

Employing a disability lawyer Shreveport to assist you with your case is critical, because it’s more likely you’ll be approved for your benefits that way. While it’s true that some people who apply for benefits on their own may be approved, statistics suggest that an applicant represented by legal counsel is significantly more likely to be approved than one who isn’t.

A local disability attorney knows how to present a case in the best light for their clients, from the initial application through the hearing level and beyond. Your lawyer assists you with filling out the application and gathering medical documents and other proof to support your claim. They will also look over your application for errors or missing information that could jeopardize your chances of getting approved. Further, your disability lawyer Shreveport will attend meetings or conferences with Social Security officials with you.

For More Information, Call Your Local Disability Attorney at Greenwald Law Firm Today

Finding the correct disability lawyer Shreveport for your disability claim, whether you were already refused or are seeking to file, can be difficult. It is a common belief that Social Security benefits are only available to the elderly. This is not the case. When there is a physical handicap or a mental health concern at play, people of all ages may be able to obtain social security benefits.

Greenwald Law Firm has been helping people in Shreveport with personal injury and disability cases for over 20 years. Our staff is skilled and eager to answer any SSD questions you might have. Find out what our disability lawyer Shreveport can do to help you get the benefits you deserve by calling 318-219-7867 or filling out the form below for an initial consultation.