May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month and Social Security statistics show that one in four working adults will be become disabled prior to retirement. Statistics show that it is illnesses, and not accident injuries, that lead to most disabilities. The costs of medical expenses and long-term care can be extremely stressful. The average daily cost of a 3-day hospital stay is $30,000 which is why healthcare costs account for over half of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S.
Worse yet, it can be difficult, and may take years, for someone who is chronically ill to navigate through the process of qualifying for SSD benefits for illness. This is partly because over 70 percent of Social Security Disability Insurance applicants are denied benefits when they first apply. Denied claims are, unfortunately, common. SSDI is for those who suffer from long-term disabilities or impairments that make it impossible to hold a job or seek new employment.
When evaluating Social Security disability benefits for illness, and a claim for the same, the applicant’s medical condition will be reviewed. Whether the applicant is currently working, the severity of the medical condition and whether or not the applicant worked before or is able to work now that the applicant has become disabled will all be considered. Because the process can be complicated, denied claims are, unfortunately, common.
Those facing a medical condition, disability, mounting healthcare costs and a denied claim for SSDI benefits may feel overwhelmed. Thoroughly understanding the application and appeals process through the proper guidance and advice, can sometimes, however, make the process seem less so.
Source: Insurancenewsnet.com, “Disability Insurance Awareness Month Points Out Staggering Facts,” May 14, 2014