You’re suffering from a chronic illness, injury or other medical condition — diabetes or a musculoskeletal problem, for example — and it’s affected your ability to work. You’re worried about your ability to make a living and what your future is now going to look like. You’ve never considered yourself disabled, right? The truth is, you might be. If you are, we can help. In this blog post, Watson and Carroll’s experienced disability team addresses at what point a medical condition becomes a disability — and how to start a claim for the benefits you need to support yourself.
Social Security Disability Lawyer in Nebraska and Iowa
Watson & Carroll, P.C., L.L.O.’s Social Security Disability team can help you secure benefits needed to support yourself. Chellsie Weber, our wildly successful and experienced disability attorney, and Abby Reid, our wonderful and thorough disability paralegal, can offer support and advice as it pertains to your disability and the benefits approval process. Remember, you’re more likely to have a successful disability claim with an attorney by your side. Call us today at 402-991-2100. You also can share your story here.
Medical Conditions and Disability Claims: Do I Qualify?
According to law, an illness, injury or other medical condition becomes a disability when it becomes impossible to engage in any substantial gainful activity, otherwise known as SGA. In other words, any medically determinable physical or medical impairment expected to end in death. It also could have lasted or is expected to last for at least a year.
For its part, a chronic illness is any disease lasting longer than a year that requires medical attention and limits your daily activities. This likely includes your ability to work and collect a regular paycheck. This may include mental illness.
Under Social Security Administration rules, You can receive disability benefits because of mental or physical impairments. Your disability can result from an accident, a medical condition or disease. If you qualify, you are required to go to the doctor regularly and seek proper medical care, so the government’s disability examiner can access medical records proving the severity of your condition.
How to Qualify for Disability Benefits
When it comes to qualifying for disability benefits, or SSDI for short, you must show that you have been unable to work or will be unable to work for at least a year because of your condition. You must provide hard medical evidence to back up your claim. It is best to include a residual functional capacity (RFC) form completed by your physician. The RFC details what you can and cannot do, which impacts your ability to maintain gainful employment.
Depending on your conditions, the RFC may show how long you can stand for a period of time, how often you need rest breaks, how much weight you can lift, how much you can carry, if you need help walking around, and so forth. This presents a clear picture of what you can and cannot do, so the disability examiner can determine if you should qualify for disability benefits as a result.
Your medical records should include a confirmed diagnosis, detail your symptoms and limitations, discuss your treatment plan, and your prognosis. When you have supporting evidence, it becomes easier to prove that you are disabled and that you qualify for disability benefits. With the proper evidence, your disability claim will be approved, and you will receive disability benefits. Read more about medical records and supporting evidence here. Detailed records and evidence are crucial to winning your claim.
When to Talk to an Attorney
If you are unable to work because of a medical condition, contact the offices of Watson and Carroll, P.C., L.L.O. Our experienced attorneys have helped thousands of disabled workers around the area get their disability claims on track and be awarded monthly benefits. Get a free case review, so you can get your claim on the right track.
About Watson & Carroll
Watson & Carroll, P.C., L.L.O., is not a high-volume law firm that only speaks with clients when it is absolutely necessary. For us, it’s personal. Our team works closely with our clients and their loved ones – not only so that we understand their challenges and concerns, but so we can tailor our approach to address those factors, aggressively pursue results, and secure peace of mind. Whether it is a medical malpractice case or advocating for disability benefits, we work to protect our clients and make sure their rights are upheld.
Our firm can help. Call 402-991-2100 or email contact@watsoncarroll.com. You also can fill out our confidential contact form.