Will I qualify for Alabama Social Security disability benefits?
This is the question we are asked most often as Alabama disability attorneys. In most cases, it is a question that no disability lawyer can answer with certainty.
To qualify for Alabama Social Security disability benefits, you must you must have a medical condition that meets Social Security’s definition of disability.
To satisfy that definition, you must prove you:
- Are unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity;
- Because you have one or more medically determinable physical or mental impairments;
- That are expected to result in death or have lasted or are expected to last at least 12 months.
Social Security’s definition of disability is different than the definitions used by other programs, such as workers’ compensation or private disability insurance. Social Security offers benefits only for total, long-term disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability. However, your disability does not have to be caused by a work-related injury.
“Disability” under Social Security is based on your inability to work. You are disabled under Social Security rules if you cannot do the work that you did before and you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition. Most people will need to prove that they cannot sustain even a simple job on a full time basis. That means for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week while keeping up a satisfactory pace and quality of work. The requirements are a little easier for older, less well-educated claimants.
It does not matter to the Social Security Administration that a job you may be able to do does not exist in your geographic region or does not pay enough to support your family. It also does not matter that you are unlikely to be hired for a certain job or you may not like the job. Instead of arguing these points, you must focus your efforts on proving that you cannot do any job available in the national economy.
Although this may seem like a tall order, many physical limitations may severely limit the jobs that you can do. To build a strong Social Security disability case, a capable Alabama disability attorney will investigate whether you have any of the following limitations that whittle away the jobs that you can do:
- Sitting, standing, and walking limitations.
- Need for a cane or other assistive device.
- Need to elevate your legs.
- Need to lie down during the day.
- Problems using your hands and fingers to manipulate objects.
- Visual impairments.
- Environmental restrictions.
- Difficulty understanding, remembering, and carrying out simple instructions.
- Difficulty responding appropriately to supervision, co-workers and usual work situations.
- Difficulty dealing with changes in a routine work setting.
- Need to use the rest room frequently.
- Seizures.
- Inability to hold your head in flexed forward position.
Knowledgeable Alabama disability attorney offers help
I will be happy to meet with you to review and evaluate your claim once you have filed your application. Please describe your claim using the form to the right, and I will respond promptly. Or you may contact us.
Dothan Alabama disability lawyers
No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
