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Reading, PA Social Security Disability Lawyer

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are for people who can no longer earn an income because of a qualifying medical condition.

All in all, it might be about a year from the time you submit a disability application and when you start getting payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). We can start preparing your claim quickly in Reading so that we can submit it as soon as possible. The SSA could take several months to review your claim. Even after approval, claimants might have to wait an additional five months to get their first monthly check for SSDI benefits. If the SSA denies your claim, our lawyers can appeal its decision within 60 days. Claimants have multiple opportunities to appeal denied claims, so they should not get discouraged if the SSA rejects their claims initially, as it might do so for minor reasons, like small errors.

Call Young, Marr, Mallis & Associates for a free case review from our Reading, PA Social Security disability lawyers at (215) 515-2954.

Timeline of a Social Security Disability Claim in Reading, PA

Most Social Security disability claims follow similar timelines. They start with preparation and, when successful, end with a favorable decision from the Social Security Administration. All told, the entire process could take upwards of a year to complete, so you should initiate your claim immediately if you need disability benefits in Reading.

Preparation

Disability claims start with a preparation stage, during which our lawyers will confirm your eligibility and gather the necessary information for your application. To see if you qualify for SSDI, we will review your earning record to date. We will also compare your diagnosed injury, disability, or illness with the Social Security Administration’s listing of impairments.

The SSA requires considerable medical information from SSDI claimants in Reading. Our Social Security disability lawyers can help you organize and prepare medical records confirming your condition before submitting your claim.

Claimants in Reading may have to prepare certain documents for their applications, including a birth certificate, proof of U.S. citizenship, and W-2 or self-employment tax returns from the past year.

You will also need to prepare some personal information for your application, including your Social Security number, spouse’s information, dependents’ information, and employer’s information, among other details. If you are applying for SSDI through a parent’s earning record, we will need their information as well.

Preparing all this information before going to complete your SSDI application will be important to ensure its accuracy. Because we need to compile a considerable amount of information for your SSDI application, this part of the process could take several weeks in and of itself.

Submission

After our lawyers prepare your SSDI application and any supplemental materials the SSA could need, we can help you submit it. There are three ways to do this: online through the SSA’s secure website, over the phone with the SSA, or in person at a local SSA office. Since you will have the necessary information on hand to complete your application, this process should be relatively quick.

Review

Once the SSA gets your application, it will start its review process. Because of the sheer amount of applications the SSA receives regularly, it could be several weeks or months before you hear from the SSA about your claim. When reviewing your application, the SSA could require an interview.

During an interview, an SSA agent might ask you more questions about your disability or work history. Our attorneys can prepare you for the most common questions the SSA asks during claimant interviews so that you know what to expect.

Reviews can take several months alone. To hasten this process, our lawyers can submit accurate and thorough applications to the SSA so that it does not have to request additional information from you when reviewing your claim. If you have not heard anything about your claim since applying, our lawyers can contact the SSA to inquire about its status.

Decision

The SSA should make a decision on your claim within three to five months of getting your SSDI application. After the SSA approves your claim, you may have to go through a five-month waiting period. If you get through this waiting period and are still eligible for disability benefits, you will get your first check the following month. Certain conditions, like ALS, are exempt from this otherwise mandatory waiting period following a decision from the SSA.

The SSA decides benefit amounts based on each claimant’s specific work history. For 2024, the maximum monthly SSDI benefit is $3,822, though this amount is not guaranteed for all claimants in Reading.

Appeal

If your application is incomplete or contains errors, the Social Security Administration might deny it. If that happens, our lawyers will have 60 days to initiate an appeal. There are four parts to the appeals process, starting with a reconsideration from the SSA. During the reconsideration period, our lawyers can submit additional information confirming your medical condition and eligibility for benefits. The SSA may require another interview with you to explain its reasons for denying your claim and give you an opportunity to explain your eligibility.

If the SSA affirms its initial decision to reject your claim, we can appeal it again to an administrative law judge. During the hearing, the administrative law judge might ask you questions about your medical condition and allow you to present additional evidence of your eligibility, such as testimony from medical experts. The Social Security Administration’s Appeals Council can overturn an administrative law judge’s decision. The final chance to appeal a denied SSDI claim is in federal court. You will have 60 days from the last denial to pursue your next appeal in Reading.