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Misconceptions about the Social Security Disability Program

Published on August 30th, 2017

  1. Most Social Security beneficiaries are not really disabled.

Most people who have applied for Social Security can tell you this is a myth. The requirements for Social Security eligibility are very strict, so the those who benefit from the disability program are among the most severely impaired people in the country. The decision to accept beneficiaries is a legal one, not a medical one. Therefore, it is important to have the right social security attorney in Portland to help those with real disabilities become accepted into the program.

  1. If you become disabled by a serious disease, you’ll still have to wait a long time for disability benefits.

There are different programs that could allow you to receive benefits quickly depending on the severity of your disability. Through the Compassionate Allowances program, Social Security provides your benefits in this quick manner for applicants whose medical conditions are so severe that they obviously meet disability standards. Contact a social security attorney near Portland, like The Law Offices of Kenneth Miller & Associates, to help get you your benefits as quickly as possible.

  1. Social Security Benefits are based on your last seven years of earnings.

Your benefits are based on your lifetime earnings, not just your past 7 years of earnings. Your actual earnings will be adjusted to account for changes in average wages every year since your benefits were first received. The Social Security Disability’s program applies a holistic formula with these factors to arrive at your basic benefit, or “primary insurance amount.” For more information on basic benefits, contact a social security attorney in Portland at The Law Offices of Kenneth Miller & Associates.

  1. SSDI will replace your work-related income.

Social security disability insurance is not the same as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a federal income supplement program that is funded differently than SSDI programs. SSDI is meant to help you pay for general fundamental needs, whereas SSI is a needs-based program. If you have one, you are still available to apply for the other. The Law Offices of Kenneth Miller & Associates can help you best determine how to apply for these benefits.

  1. Once you’re on SSDI, you’re on it for life.

You will only have SSDI while you are still disabled. Some beneficiaries will be disabled for life, so they will have SSDI for life. However, your medical condition will be reviewed periodically while you are on SSDI. How often you are reviewed depends on how long your disability is expected to last. If improvement is possible but unpredictable, the reviews are usually done every three years. The less likely you are to improve, the less often you will be reviewed.

To separate the facts from the fiction, contact The Law Offices of Kenneth Miller & Associates about any confusion you may have about Social Security Disability. Call to schedule your free consultation at (865)-637-0515.

Courtesy Of: SSA

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