Social Security benefits are poised to increase by a record 5.9% in 2022

Social security disability claim

Due to rising inflation and the coronavirus pandemic, the United States will see the biggest bump in social security benefits in four decades. On average, disabled workers will get $76 more per month in 2022. 

According to the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, ​​the average monthly Social Security disability payment is $1087 while the average monthly benefit for the SSI recipient is $571 per month.

 

Social Security Act

The Social Security Act institutionalized the benefits given to retirees and senior citizens, people who are jobless or those who had work-related accidents, dependent mothers and children, persons with disabilities, among others.

Millions of Americans receive benefits under the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program. As all social security benefits are funded by the federal government, social security takes the largest chunk in government expenditure. 

 

Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Disability Determination Services

The Disability Determination Services (DDS) is an agency in the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS). The DDS operates in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make disability decisions on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability claims.  This office handles claims from all 23 SSA offices in Mississippi.

 

Definition of Disability

The Social Security Act defines disability as the “inability to perform in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) which is expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.”

Moreover, the SSA adds that the “medically determinable physical or mental impairment must result from anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities which can be shown by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques. The impairment must be established by objective medical evidence (signs, laboratory findings, or both) from an acceptable medical source, not on an individual’s statement of symptoms.”

 

Eligibility for Mississippi Disability Benefits

Residents of Mississippi, of all ages, who suffer from an injury, disease, or mental condition that renders them unable to earn their keep may be eligible for federal disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Other states also provide short-term benefits to persons with disabilities and state payments in supplement to the federal SSI payment. However, the state of Mississippi does not provide any of these two added benefits.

 

How to Apply for Mississippi Disability Benefits

Two federal disability programs may be applied for: the Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI and the Supplemental Security Income or SSI.

Social Security Disability Insurance is for you and certain members of your family to enjoy if you are “insured” or if you worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes to qualify.

The Supplemental Security Income are benefits provided to citizens based on their financial needs.

Applications for disability benefits may be submitted to the nearest Social Security office, by phone, or online through the SSA website. SSI applications, however, must be filed personally at the Social Security office or via phone call at 1-800-722-1213.

 

Mississippi Disability Evaluation

Social Security evaluates the applications lodged for disability claims. Should the application meet the basic eligibility requirements, these claim applications are forwarded to the Disability Examiner (DE) stationed at the Disability Determination Services (DDS) of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services.  Based on SSA criteria, the DE will secure medical and vocational proof and evaluate the claimant’s declarations. 

Should medical records be insufficient to complete an evaluation, the DE may call for a consultative examination or CE. 

The DDS employs medical and psychological consultants who can provide an evaluation and opinion on the application. 

After evaluation, a recommended decision is transmitted to the SSA where they review the applications and their respective recommended decision. Should the decision be unfavorable to the applicant, an appeal may be made by reaching out to the SSA.

 

SSI and Medicaid for Mississippi Residents

Mississippi residents who are qualified for the SSI are automatically eligible for Medicaid. However, if you want to claim retroactive benefits or ask Medicaid to pay for your medical fees from up to three months before the month you applied for the SSI, then you need to apply for such claims. 

 

How To Speed Up Your Social Security Disability Claim

Having a disability is no mean feat. It causes stress and worries not just for the individual but to his/her family as well. Unfortunately, claims for Social Security disability can take years. 

 

Hiring Mississippi Social Security Attorneys

The best way to speed up the approval of your benefits claim is to hire social security attorneys. Mississippi attorneys at Rollins Law Firm not just ensure that you fill out the paperwork correctly but also guide and assist you in the entire application process as well as navigate through the tricky rules and regulations. 

Delays are usually experienced while waiting for an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. Should disability benefits be denied to you, you will have to request a Social Security hearing and anticipate a favorable decision from the judge. Waiting times vary per state and any delays to disability claims can add to stress and frustration. 

There are other ways to speed up your benefits claims. Talk to your Mississippi social security lawyers to learn more about each item.

 

Compassionate Allowances List

In 2008, the SSA has listed over 200 conditions under the Compassionate Allowances List or CAL. The conditions listed are considered critical and should you be able to submit medical evidence that you are suffering from one of the listed illnesses, then you automatically meet the definition of disability as provided for by law. This means that the SSA can expedite the approval of your claim and award your benefits in days or weeks.

Twelve (12) new conditions were added to the CAL in 2021.  These are:

  • Charlevoix Saguenay Spastic Ataxia (ARSACS)
  • Choroid Plexus Carcinoma
  • CIC-rearranged Sarcoma
  • Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS)
  • Desmoplastic Mesothelioma
  • Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
  • Pericardial Mesothelioma
  • Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (RHL)
  • Renpenning Syndrome
  • SCN8A Related Epilepsy with Encephalopathy
  • SYNGAP1-related NSID
  • Taybi-Linder Syndrome

All  disability applications are reviewed by the SSA to see you are eligible for the CAL program. Talk to your attorney and speed up the application process by ensuring that you submit all medical evidence proving that you have a CAL condition.

 

TERI Disability Claims

The SSA can also expedite disability claims for individuals with terminal illnesses or “a medical condition that is untreatable and expected to result in death.” 

The SSA will check for potential TERI cases based on the claimant’s declarations or on TERI case descriptors during the review of the application. It is very important to include all pertinent details in the application.

 

Presumptive Disability

Presumptive Disability or PD is another program of the SSA that can grant you SSI benefits even before a decision on the disability application is made. Should the decision be unfavorable in the end, there will be no need to pay for the benefits already granted. 

Examples of conditions listed under the PD include spinal cord injuries that cause the inability to walk without assistance, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Down Syndrome, low birth weight, etc. 

 

Urgent Need

The SSA can also expedite claims for disability benefits if the applicant has insufficient resources for food and medical care or if the applicant is homeless or dealing with immediate eviction from his/her residence or foreclosure of his/her home. 

 

Military Service

Veterans and members of the military force who were disabled while on active duty can avail of expedited disability claims.

 

Hiring Legal Services to Speed Up Social Security Disability Claim

These are just some of the ways to get expedited processing of disability claims. As with all applications governed by federal and state laws, the process could get very overwhelming. Having Mississippi attorneys by your side can ensure a favorable and swift outcome for your application, especially if you are not qualified for expedited processing. 

Having a disability is not something we wish for but it can happen. Do not delay your application. Some benefits may not be awarded to you if you wait too long to file.

Have Rollins Law Firm take a look and evaluate your case. No payment is required for a consultation or even during the application. Payment is only required at the end of the case and only if Rollins Law Firm is successful with approving your disability claim. Schedule a consultation with one of our reliable social security attorneys now.

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