VETERANS, DID YOU KNOW....?

Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) provides benefits in addition to VA disability or retirement benefits.

Social Security may provide disability benefits without regard to your discharge status.  You may, for example, receive disability benefits while you are waiting to be discharged from active military duty.

When Social Security approves a disability benefit, you may then use Medicare and/or Medicaid insurance to help with medical expenses while you wait for VA benefits to be approved.  Medicare comes with SSDI (Title 2) benefits, while Medicaid comes with SSI (Title 16) benefits.

You may qualify for SSI or SSDI benefits from Social Security regardless of whether your disabling impairments are service related.

VA compensable benefit ratings range from 10 percent to 100 percent in increments of 10.  Social Security disability, however, is all or none.  You are either 100 percent disabled or not disabled at all.

The basic requirements for Social Security disability benefits are:

  1. You must have a physical and/or mental impairment that prevents substantial gainful activity--defined as earning wages of at least $1,130 per month in 2016 ($1,090 in 2015).
  2. The impairment has lasted or is expected to last a minimum of 12 consecutive months, or end in death.

The Social Security application and approval process is separate from the Veterans Administration process.  You will probably want professional assistance to help guide you through the complicated Social Security disability process.  You may get a free consultation and case evaluation by the Forsythe Firm in Huntsville, and we will never charge you a fee unless you are awarded Social Security benefits, including back pay.  Because we are direct pay eligible with the Social Security Administration, our fee will be withheld and plaid directly by Social Security after your benefits are approved.

 Contact the Forsythe Firm at (256) 799-0297 in Huntsville.
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The Forsythe Firm is a private professional firm and is not affiliated with the US Government or the Social Security Administration.

 

 

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