Becoming struck with a disability can permanently change a person’s life. Whether it be a personal relationship, a set of job skills, or the stability of one’s health, very little is left unadulterated in life after the onset of a debilitating illness or serious injury. Many in these situations are fortunate enough to have the Social Security Administration’s disability benefits program available to them. However, that turn of good fortune is not always extended to those who need it the most.
The availability of access to disability benefits for those who truly need it has been severely limited in many instances. Applicants here in Wisconsin and across the nation with valid disabilities, even those expressly covered under administration rules, are frequently denied benefits and forced into a process of appeals and hearing that can take months, years, or as it turned out for one woman, over a decade.
A Florida woman late last year finally claimed victory (along with the support payments she rightfully deserved) after a 12-year struggle through appeals and hearings in her effort to secure Social Security disability (SSD) benefits. Filing her lawsuit in January 2000, the woman cited both degenerative disk disease and depression adjustment disorder as the causes of her disabled condition.
Last November the woman’s legal counsel proved successful in convincing a District Court Judge to grant her monthly disability benefits. Hers became one of the very few cases to prove successful after such a lengthy court battle-many of those appealing are either forced to bow out for financial reasons or, sadly enough, pass away as a result of their condition(s).
Waiting out the process of a SSD claim approval can often become an arduous experience. However, with the help of an attorney, the likelihood of a successful outcome can be drastically improved, putting the essential income boost that benefit payments offer within reach.
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Port Orange law firm Rue, Ziffra, and Caldwell wins 12-year-old case,” ffernandez, Jan. 30, 2013
To learn more about applying for Social Security disability benefits and appealing denials, please visit our Milwaukee law firm’s Social Security Disability page.
