SSA

The most important aspect of meeting the rules for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits is medical evidence. Medical evidence consists of all reports, notes, tests and opinions from a claimant’s medical provider. At Greeman Toomey Law Office we use a document known as a Medical Source Statement (MSS), which is sent to our clients’ medical providers, to help prove that our clients are disabled. An MSS is either a physical or mental health questionnaire that asks our clients’medical providers to answer specifically tailored questions about our clients’ability to perform work-related activities. Before an MSS is sent to a claimant’s medical provider it is important for the claimant to discuss all of their disabilities with their doctor and inform doctors how those disabilities impact their daily lives. A doctor who is willing to write statements addressing the claimant’s inability to work at a full-time level can be a valuable tool in helping meet the rules for Social Security disability.Below are some things to do before a Medical Source Statement is sent to your provider: Ask your medical provider whether they would agree that you are either unable to work or have the inability to work fulltime because of your disabilities.  Ask your medical provider if they would be willing to complete the MSS in support of your Social Security Disability claim. And, be sure to tell your doctors about all of your disabilities and how the impact your life. It’s important that your medical providers have a good understanding of ALL of your disabilities. Sometimes medical providers will choose not to complete Medical Source statements, or will charge a fee to work on the questionnaires. Some medical providers will require a Functional Capacity Evaluation to be administered (at a cost to the client) before they are willing to complete the MSS.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based disability program for which there are both “medical” and “non-medical” eligibility requirements you must meet in order to receive benefits.  One non-medical requirement for SSI has to do with income.  The link below shows how Social Security defines income as well as income that is not counted against the SSI income limit. http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/resources/social-security-disability/supplemental-security-income-ssi/income-limits.htm

In order to receive either Social Security Disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income, you must meet both medical and non-medical requirements. If you receive a decision stating you’ve met the medical requirements but the Social Security Administration is still determining if you’ve met the non-medical requirements, they are reviewing the following: If you’ve filed a claim for Social Security Disability, SSA must determine if you have worked long enough or recently enough to qualify. If you paid taxes into Social Security while working, you earn work credits and establish what is called a “date last insured.” In order to receive Social Security Disability benefits you must be found disabled prior to this date. A general rule of thumb is that you must have worked five of the past 10 years. If you have never worked or do not have enough work credits, you may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In order to qualify for SSI you must meet certain financial requirements. SSI is a needs-based disability program, SSA needs to make sure that your resources are low enough before awarding any benefits. Your local SSA office will look at your household income, resources and living arrangements. The resource limit for an individual is $2000 and for a couple it is $3000. But certain things do not count against your resource total. For example, the house you live in and one car. Unlike Social Security Disability benefits, SSI benefits are offset by any additional income you receive. It is possible that you could meet the non-medical requirements for both programs. In that case, SSA cannot pay you both Social Security Disability and SSI. You will receive benefits from whichever program offers you the highest amount. The maximum monthly benefit for SSI is $698. For Social Security Disability, the amount varies per person based on how much money they have paid into SSA. These factors were evaluated when you first filed an application, but SSA will take another look when you are approved. After SSA has finished evaluating the non-medical requirements, the Notice of Award will be issued. This will outline your payments and any necessary deductions.