How to Make a Long Term Disability Insurance Claim

If you are looking to find benefits for yourself after an injury that harms your ability to work, filing for long term disability insurance benefits from Social Security might be right for you.

Understanding Long Term Disability Benefits

Before you file a claim for long term disability insurance, you should learn about how Social Security works. Social Security in the United States is available to help people who are put out of work, and SSA benefits are also available to help compensate for medical injury that prevents work. SSA acts as a social safety net, in other words, to ensure you are able to survive if you are not able to provide for yourself through a job. 

It is possible to qualify for long term disability benefits if and individual has a medical condition that prevents work for at least one year.  Sometimes, illnesses that are expected to result in death can also be the basis for filing a claim for disability insurance. While it is also possible that your employer offers private long term disability insurance, SSA disability is available to anyone who has worked for a sufficient length of time prior to becoming disabled. Therefore, it is a wise idea to be aware of how to make a long term disability insurance claim through the SSA.

How to Make a Long Term Disability Insurance Claim

First, you will need to determine if you qualify for disability benefits by taking two tests.  The first test is to meet the requirement of what is known as a “recent work test,” that determines how long you have worked in your lifetime and when you became disabled.  After this, you will need to take a test that is called a “duration of work test.”  The duration of work test determines how long you have worked under Social Security.  By showing how long you have worked under Social Security, this test will prove that you have worked long enough to be eligible for long term disability benefits. Within five months, you can potentially start receiving funds.You will also need to prove you are sufficiently disabled. This means you must prove that you are unable to work in the job you had, or to be retrained, as a result of the disability. The SSA has a blue book of covered disabilities, or you can prove your disability is sufficiently serious as to inhibit your ability to live a normal life.

Denials

Your long term disability insurance claim might be denied initially, and, if so, within 60 days, you should submit a request for reconsideration.  If you are denied a reconsideration, you should request an administrative hearing, and you will have a hearing between three months to a year after they have their paperwork.  Be ready to provide extra information before your hearing to support your case, and be prepared to travel within 75 miles of your residence to your administrative hearing.  If your judge denies your claim, you can request a review by a Social Security Appeal Council, and after that you can work with the Federal Court to find more options for filing an insurance claim.

Finding Legal Help

Making a long term disability insurance claim can be long and difficult so it is advisable to hire an advocate or attorney to be on your side.