New York City Social Security Disability Lawyer

We at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates understand that the prospect of not being able to pay your bills and support your family due to a serious injury or illness is frightening and frustrating. Fortunately, the Social Security Administration offers benefits to help individuals who are facing a long-term serious physical or mental impairment. The Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI) is available to people who are unable to work because of a disability, and who qualify based on their work history. Despite the fairly straightforward eligibility requirements, getting approved for SSDI benefits is not easy. In fact, most applicants are denied. In order to ensure that your application for SSDI has the best chance of approval, contact an experienced New York City Social Security disability lawyer who understands the application process and who will offer you support and guidance throughout the claims process so that you receive needed benefits as quickly as possible.

Filing a claim for Social Security disability benefits is a complicated process. The rules are strict and the denial rate is high. The first requirement is that you have a debilitating injury or illness. However, just because you are injured or sick does not mean that you will qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration has a list of disorders that can lead to an approved claim. Such disorders include cardiovascular problems such as heart failure, digestive problems such as Crohn's disease, cancer, neurological disorders such as epilepsy, musculoskeletal problems such as amputations, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

As an experienced Social Security disability attorney in New York City will explain, once you have established through medical records that you have a debilitating impairment, the next requirement is that the injury or illness must be so debilitating that you are unable to work even if an employer provided reasonable accommodations as required by law. For example, if your condition is debilitating, but with medication the symptoms can be held in check so that you would be able to work, then you would not qualify for benefits. The requirement that the impairment must prevent you from working means not only must you not be able work at your current or most recent job. It means that the impairment must prevent you from working at any other job based your level of education, your age, and your experience.

The final requirement is that your disability must be long term. Social Security disability benefits are not available for short term impairments, even if your medical records prove that you are completely unable to work for a few months. A requirement to be eligible for Social Security disability is that your impairment must be expected for at least 12 months.

Even if you meet all of the requirements, approval is not easy. For example, if you do not include sufficient documentation to support your claim that you have a specific impairment, your application will be denied. Or, if you do not respond to the Social Security Administration's fact-finding requests, your application will be denied despite the fact that you meet the requirements for Social Security disability.

Sally, a hospital administrator for over 20 years, started to forget things and get confused when she was 49-years old. About a year later she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. She was able to continue to work for a while, but finally at age 53 the condition had progressed so much that Sally sometimes got confused on the way to work and was forced to stop working. With the help of an attorney, Sally applied for Social Security disability benefits.

If you are unable to work because you are suffering from a serious physical or mental impairment as a result of an injury or illness, you may be eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits. However, because the application process is challenging, it is important that you are represented by an experienced Social Security disability attorney serving clients in New York City. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates understand the application process and will assist you in completing the necessary forms, keep you up to date on the status of your application, and handle the appeals process, if necessary. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.