Even though individuals across the country pride themselves on working hard at their jobs to support their families and retain their independence, there are certain medical conditions that can prevent them from working at their full potential. Whether it is due to a workplace accident or some other condition, it can end up affecting the Texas resident’s ability to provide for their family and support them monetarily. Federal programs, in the form of Social Security Disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income, can help fill the gap.
Administered by the Social Security Administration, SSD benefits are available to those who are ‘insured’-who have worked long enough and paid taxes to qualify for receiving these benefits. Only people who have a disability and can meet the medical standards can qualify for benefits.
The first question that might arise is what is a disability under social security? It is different from what one might find in other programs and it is essential to meet these criteria in order to qualify. For the purposes of receiving SSD benefits, disability is linked to inability to work. This means the individual cannot do the work they were doing before, the medical condition prevents them from adjusting to other work and the medical condition will last longer than a year and can even result in death.
The definition of disability under the social security program is strict. If the medical condition is short term or the individual can perform other work, they may not qualify for SSD benefits, although other programs might be available for them. It is very important to collect all the required documents and forms and complete them accurately in the first instance, to avoid getting the application denied. An experienced attorney may be able to guide Texas residents through the complicated process.