Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog
There are millions of Americans who rely on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits each month to make ends meet, since their respective disabilities prevent them for working, according to an adjudication from the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). There are an estimated 11 million Americans currently receiving these benefits from SSA.
While there is no question that these two Social Security disability programs are very important, and millions of people would be impoverished without them, there are those who believe that the disability programs are nothing more than entitlements for people to sit at home and collect a benefits check because they don’t want to work.As our Boston disability benefits lawyers have seen in many cases, this could not be farther from the truth. The reality is that the vast majority of the millions of Americans collecting one form of disability benefits or another are truly disabled and unable to work. One of the reasons we know this is because of how difficult it can be to get an award of disability benefits from SSA.
This is especially true for the many people who choose to go through the applications process without the assistance of an experienced disability attorney, which is never a good idea. The reason for this is because the system is set up in a way to seriously put the unrepresented claimant at a disadvantage. The reason many people do not get a lawyer when their initial application is denied is because they think they can’t afford an attorney. However, it will likely not cost you anything at all to have an attorney unless you are actually awarded benefits, so there is no reason not to seek a consultation.
Another reason we know this is not true about people wanting to work, as discussed in a recent news article from Disability Scoop, is more people with disabilities are seeking employment these days that in the past. This is an example of how people who could be collecting a benefits check are choosing to engage in the workforce again once they are healthy enough to do so. However, there are, of course, some people who suffer from a permanent disability who may never be able to work again. For those people, applying for SSDI benefits or SSI benefits are likely they only way they can be able to pay their bills.
While it may seem counterintuitive, we know this because the unemployment rate for disabled Americans has risen. While an increase in the unemployment rate is generally not considered a positive thing, in this case it is, because there are more disabled people looking for jobs than ever before. Since the unemployment rate only counts people who are ready, willing and able to work, they count people who are actively seeking employment. If a person is disabled and not looking for work, they are not counted as unemployed, so the overall number would be lower.
If you or a loved one is seeking Social Security Disability Insurance in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
More People With Disabilities Seeking Work, November 7, 2016, By Shaun Heasley, Disability Scoop
More Bog Entries:
Social Security Disability Judges Allegedly Used Racial and Sexual Terms on Claimants’ Applications, July 22, 2016, Boston SSDI Lawyer Blog