In the United States, the two largest and most well-known social security programs are Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD or SSDI) and Social Security Income (SSI). Both of these disability-assistance programs were designed to provide monthly payments and Medicare benefits to disabled individuals who have contributed to the general Social Security fund by working (in the case of SSD) or who can prove that they have both a disability and financial need (in the case of SSI). The process of filing and being approved for SSD and especially SSI can be an arduous and highly time-consuming and frustrating task for many Colorado residents.
The process of filing a disability claim usually begins at the Colorado (or other state) social security field office. In many cases these claims are rejected, often because they have not been supported with sufficient evidence of your medical condition or by the records themselves. If you lose a case at the state level, you should contact a Colorado SSI attorney immediately to file an appeal. Remember that you only have 60 days from the time of your claim rejection to do this, so don’t wait!
When applying for SSDI or SSI, its important to remember that:
- Benefits are awarded to people who are unemployed, have worked and paid payroll taxes in at least five of the last ten years, have a proven disability that is expected to last for at least 12 months and are unable to perform their normal career work or previous job
- Benefits are made in monthly payments to disabled persons or widows or minors (under 18 years of age) whose spouses or parents have contributed to Social Security
- The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) decision to grant benefits is largely based on paperwork, and errors are common, especially in complex cases involving a large degree of paperwork
- The amount of time taken by the SSA in processing SSD/SSI claims and granting benefits can often take more than a year so if you are disabled and you expect that injury to last for some time, apply immediately
Social security disability benefits will begin approximately five months after the established onset of the disability, meaning that these benefits will start for the 6th month after the date of your disability. In addition, if you are 65 years or older, generally speaking you will be eligible to receive Medicare and Medicaid coverage in addition to your disability benefit payments.
If you are disabled Colorado resident and feel that you qualify for CO Social Security Disability, you should contact an experienced Colorado SSI Attorney immediately. Furthermore, if you believe that your disability is the result of an accidental injury or if you have disability insurance which you purchased either through your employer or individually, you may be eligible for benefits from more than one source! Contact an experienced Colorado Social Security Disability attorney today to thoroughly review your legal options.
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