Social Security Disability Lawyers in Michigan
Social Security Disability Denied? Call Us Now for Help!
If you are an American or documented worker who has worked in this country for at least five of the last 10 years, the deductions made for your Social Security taxes have been placed into a fund for you to be paid to you as a monthly income should you become disabled according to the Social Security Administration guidelines.
For Social Security, disability is based on your inability to work. The Social Security Act defines disability as a “person’s inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment, which can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.” In order to qualify for benefits, you must have the required work credits, and your health problems must keep you from doing any kind of substantial work. Lastly, your health problems must be expected to last for at least 12 months in a row or result in death.
If you are under the age of 65 and are disabled and have sufficient earning credits as determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA), you are entitled to Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) benefits. If you do not have enough credits to qualify for SSDI, you may still qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The amount of your SSI payments will depend on the household income and assets.
Social Security pays benefits only for total disability, so no benefits are payable for partial disability or short-term disability. The Social Security program rules assume that working families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term disabilities such as workers’ compensation, private insurance, savings and investments.
