Getting Disability Benefits for a Learning Disability

Learning disabilities are suffered by millions of Americans; however, few sufferers are treated with the same care and attention that those with other, more obvious disabilities experience.  Individuals with learning difficulty may be characterized as stupid or disinterested, even troublemakers—but they are anything but. 

Those with learning disabilities know that the desire to learn and succeed, even the desire to feel “normal,” are not enough to help them face the challenges they experience doing day to day tasks that others find relatively simple.  Fortunately, there is help available for those with learning disabilities.  If you or a loved one has been categorized as “learning disabled,” you may be eligible for social security disability benefits.

Getting Benefits for a Learning Disability

A learning disability is a neurological disorder that makes learning new information difficult for certain individuals.  The academic, social, and functional skills of a person who possesses certain learning disorders may be severely impaired. 

If this impairment prevents you from working, you may be able to qualify for social security disability or other legal benefits.  Disabilities that may allow you to qualify for social security disability benefits include:

• Input disabilities, including the inability to process information
• Motor function disability
• Sequencing, abstraction, and organizational problems
• Memory issues
• Output and communication disabilities
• Language and speaking disabilities

Additional legal benefits are often available for individuals with learning disabilities due to the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which provide for disabled workers and allow special consideration among employers and compensation from the government if they are unable to perform the tasks and duties required by a job. 

Medical examinations are often required by employers whose applicants claim learning disabilities, and the Social Security Administration requires that doctors file appropriate reports detailing the mental disabilities of individuals who seek benefits.

Social Security Disability Insurance will pay benefits to the learning disabled if it has been sufficiently demonstrated that the specific learning disability is medically recognized and you demonstrate significant impairment as a result of the learning disability.  In order for a claim to be valid, your disability must significantly interfere with your day-to-day functioning, rendering you unable to work.

Filing a Claim for Disability Benefits

The United States government has a website dedicated to those who wish to receive assistance from social security, and applications can be processed online.  In the event that the affected party cannot file a claim himself or herself, additional paperwork allows a third party to represent the individual and file a claim in their stead.  The Social Security Administration collects and reviews all data and makes benefits recommendations on the basis of the data provided.

Getting Help with Your Claim

Lawyers and advocacy services are available for those who experience learning disabilities.  They also provide legal counsel to the loved ones of sufferers so that they can determine the appropriate course of action to seek and collect necessary benefits for the continued education of the learning disabled. 

Lawyers understand the legal and medical language required for the Social Security Administration to approve a request for benefits, and they go to bat for individuals who cannot represent themselves in such cases.  Of particular interest are the lawyers who can contest claims made to the Social Security Administration that have been denied on the basis of paperwork that has been improperly filed, the lack of medical evidence to support the need for benefits, and other common mistakes made by those filing for such benefits for the first time. 

If you or a loved one is differently-abled and experiences difficulty learning, communicating, or retaining information, it might be best to contact a legal adviser who can help you to make the difficult steps toward a better life.