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Unexpected injuries are something that can really ruin lives. Tripping on a broken stretch of pavement, falling off a ladder, or slipping in a restaurant can put people out of work for months. Joint injuries, spine injuries, or even paralysis can come from any number of commonplace injuries like those mentioned just a moment ago.
When you’re applying for disability, however, it might not seem like you have much of a chance to recover the income you’ve lost. While you certainly won’t make a lifetime living off of disability in Ohio, you can manage the months that you’re out of work.
Difference Between Workers Compensation and SSD
Workers’ compensation is exclusively for accidents that happened while you were on the job. Except in rare events where repetitive motions, or diseases, in some case conditions, plague an employee, workers compensation mostly covers obvious injuries.
Disability, however, is something available to people under a variety of circumstances. In many situations, people have paid into disability for years, so when they’re too hurt to work, it’s a safety net. There are requirements to access disability, including the requirement of holding a job and paying into SSDI over a period of time.
How to Start Your Social Security Disability Forms
Thankfully the process of applying for SSDI, or state disability, is almost exclusively done online. The application is available on the Social Security Administration’s website. However, there are many aspects of the application that are confusing.
It is often unclear what information is necessary and what is supplemental. There are also questions that seem to contradict earlier questions as if the application is confusing on purpose. Finally, there is the issue of additional documentation.
When applying for disability in Ohio, you will likely need to explain the injury, provide medical information, and more. However, many people believe that a simple explanation is enough. That’s not the case. One of the biggest causes of denial in Ohio’s SSD application process is not having enough medical evidence to support the need for disability.
Reasons for SSD Denial and Avoiding Them
Only about 30% of initial SSD applications see approval; the remaining 70% are denied. Why? There are many reasons behind receiving a denial, and it likely has something to do with the major reconstruction of the Ohio SSD evaluation system.
- Common reasons for denial include:
- Incomplete medical information
- Incomplete or not attached medical proof of disability
- Estimated recovery time is not covered through disability
- Previously denied claim
These issues are nearly all avoidable. First, always ensure that you provide the most up to date information, and as new documentation comes to you, forward it to your Ohio social security disability attorney. Second, make sure you have provided all medical information that is relevant to your injury. Third, speak with your medical team about how long it will take to make a full recovery, Ohio SSD only covers conditions which will last more than 12 months.
Finally, you cannot simply restart a claim. It’s always better to seek an appeal and take it through an ALJ for a full resolution.
Working with an Attorney Through Appeals
If your claim was denied, you could not start a new claim for the same issue. Instead, you need to apply for reconsideration and present anything that might have been missing from your application. Then you will need to go through the appeals process for a new decision.
If the appeal is also denied, you can go through to an ALJ, or an Administrative Law Judge. Most of the cases that make it to an ALJ receive approval. It’s proof that often, a human eye is necessary to clear up these issues. ALJs will hear your case, consider all the factors, and then make their decision quickly.
Contact an Ohio SSD Lawyer
After a debilitating accident, you’ll need something to keep your finances going while you recover. But your recovery could take months or years. In fact, you may not even be able to return to work after a serious accident.
The time it takes you to recover, and possibly train for a new line of employment should come with Social Security Disability. However, many people receive a denial of their SSD claims because of a wide variety of reasons. Don’t be the person who doesn’t receive SSD because of a simple documenting error.
Contact Young, Reverman, and Mazzei, the law offices that help the victims of accidents throughout Ohio and the surrounding areas. Get guidance on what to expect with your case, and help to apply and to process appeals.
