The question: What kind of people are entitled to disability benefits?
The answer: Every kind of people. From old to young, from advanced degrees to GEDs.
So why does Social Security make it so complicated?
One reason for the complexity is money. If it were easy to apply for benefits, more than one in 14 of all Americans would apply and qualify. Making the process difficult discourages many people – and that saves the government money. Remember the politics surrounding Social Security – there are people in Congress and elsewhere who don’t want to pay out the benefits you paid into.
The other main reason is also about money. The Social Security Administration wants to make double-certain that the money is going to deserving individuals. They explain this in terms of avoiding fraud, which costs the federal government billions every year. But you know you’re not trying to defraud the government. You know your disability is real. You know you paid into Social Security your whole working life.
So why are they making it so difficult?
The best answer is probably that you have to buckle down and meet their exacting requirements if you are to be granted benefits. And the best way to do that is to work with an experienced SSD attorney.
Steven Gaechter has been going over disability applications for many years. In that time he has learned two things:
- Your claim is not denied because they don’t believe you are disabled. So, don’t be discouraged on that account.
- Your claim was probably denied because the medical evidence you supplied did not completely support your case.
The solution, then, is obvious. Re-submit your claim, but focusing on the areas that were not persuasive.
That sounds simple enough
But in fact there is no reason why you should see the holes in your application. But the Social Security Administration sees hundreds of thousands of claims, and they are skilled at identifying gaps that you can’t see.
You can win the benefits you have paid into – but you need the assistance of a professional who has the same in-depth understanding as the SSA of what is persuasive and what comes up short.
You can win the benefits you need and deserve – but it will require patience, the determination to do better and be clearer next time around.
