Increasing the Chances of Winning Your SSD Case

Increasing the Chances of Winning Your SSD Case

Everyone wants to know their chances of being of approved for Social Security disability benefits.

I get this question all the time, “What do you think our chances are?”

Actually, it’s a great question.

Here are some things that will approve your chances of being approved:

Your Age.

By and far, one of the biggest factors to being approved for Social Security disability benefits is your age. The older you are, the more the rules favor approval. Those over the age of 55 have the best chances of success. The younger you are, the more likely the Social Security Administration will likely find some type of work you are capable of performing, even despite your limitations.

Your education.

High far you went in school is actually a very big factor in determining whether you are disabled. Those with less than a high school education are more likely to be approved for Social Security disability benefits because the Administration recognizes that without a high school education, it makes it that much harder for a person to be qualified to perform at a job. If a person is over the age of 55 and has a limited education, this combination gives a person a greater chance of being approved.

What kind of work you have done in the past.

This is another big one. If a person has only worked at unskilled work his or her entire life, then he or she likely does not have transferable work skills to do some other kind of work. The more skilled a person is, the more likely he or she can find some kind of work to accommodate his or her limitations.

The fact that you have physical rather than mental limitations.

Physical limitations that can be seen through testing makes it more likely a person will be approved for disability benefits. It is difficult to measure mental limitations, most often the reason is because they are subjective. The doctor can only documents what his or her patient says what is wrong with them. While there are many reliable mental tests to determine a severe condition, nothing can take the place of an x-ray or MRI or CT scan. Thus, the more concrete testing there is of a person’s condition, the more likely he or she will be approved for benefits.

The severity of your condition.

The more severe your condition, the more likely it is to interfere with your ability to perform basic work activities. These are things such as: walking, standing, pushing, pulling, sitting, carrying, lifting, etc. The more your condition interferes with these basic things needed to perform any kind of work, the more likely you are going to be approved for benefits.

How well your condition is documented.

Time and time again, one of the main reasons why a person is denied benefits is because the symptoms a person alleges that keeps him or her from working cannot be substantiated within the medical records. This is why it is so important to have your treating physician document what activities are limited. If you can incorporate your limitations together with concrete testing (x-ray, vision test, MRI, CT scan, etc.), then this will increase your chances of success.

How long you have been suffering from your condition.

One of the requirements for approval in any disability claim is just how likely a person is going to suffer or be limited. The Rules require a person to either have suffered from a severe limitation for twelve months or more, or be likely to do so. Many times, when a person is denied, it is because the Administration feels he or she will recover enough to go back to work within 12 months. If there is a showing a person is at least likely to be out of work for one year or more, this increases the chances of success.

You have someone help you with everyday tasks.

This too is a very big deal to the Social Security Administration. If you need help cleaning your home, managing yourself, driving, managing money, even feeding the dog or cat, these show limitations in being able to perform basic work activities. For a person claiming he or she is disabled, and they are capable of doing their own shopping, driving wherever they need to go, cleaning their own home, etc., this means they are probably able to at least perform some type of work where they would be required to sit down and do some kind of unskilled labor.

Finally, your condition is severe enough to meet a Medical Listing.

The Social Security Administration has a list of many impairments. If your own condition is severe enough to meet one of these definitions, then a person will be found disabled as long as he or she is not working above a certain level each month and his or her condition is likely to last for 12 months or more.

We hope this helps. If you need assistance with your Social Security disability claim, we represent claimants throughout Texas and California fighting for their benefits. You can always call our office at: (888) 780-9125.