Here to Help in Southern Illinois
Disability Attorney
Disability Attorney Litchfield, IL. If your disability prevents you from working, your financial concerns and constraints can add to an already stressful situation. You may feel overwhelmed when you think about your future and your family’s welfare. It can be difficult to even know where to begin. The simplest start is normally the best. Call a disability attorney at Drummond Law in Southern Illinois as soon as possible at 800-842-0426 or contact us online for a free, no-risk consultation.
Since 1976, our legal team at Drummond Law has successfully helped thousands of clients in Southern Illinois, and throughout the Midwest, with disability claims. Our disability attorneys have the experience and knowledge necessary to help file your claim, which is an arduous process in and of itself, or assist in an appeal. Whether you need to file a disability claim for yourself or a loved one, the Drummond Law disability attorney will help secure a bright financial future.
At our firm in Southern Illinois, you can count on receiving the one-on-one service you deserve from an experienced disability attorney focused on securing the best possible outcome in your case. You will meet with our skilled disability attorney early on, and that same attorney will be with you throughout the process. We don’t pass clients around. You are a name, not a number.
We take pride in the strong relationships we build with each client in cities throughout Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky. You can rely on our disability attorney to give you honest advice about your options in Southern Illinois, developing a strategy that best fits your specific circumstances. Call us at 800-842-0426 or contact us online.
How Do I Qualify For Illinois Disability?
The United States created benefits, run by the Social Security Administration, to help people like you cover their expenses in Southern Illinois or throughout the Midwest. If an illness, injury, or disability is preventing you from working in Southern Illinois, you may be eligible for one these federal programs:
- Supplemental Security Income | SSI Lawyers
- Social Security Disability Insurance | SSD Lawyers
- Social Security Family Benefits | SSD For Children Lawyer
We will break these programs down in-depth, and our disability attorney will meet with you in Southern Illinois or elsewhere to discuss the best option. The SSA considers you to have a qualifying disability if all of the following three instances are true:
- You cannot do work and engage in substantial gainful activity because of your medical condition.
- You cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition.
- Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
There is a long list of factors that the SSA looks at in determining if you are eligible. Chief among them is whether or not you are disabled with a medical condition that is expected to last at least 12 months (or is chronic) and restricts you from doing full-time work.
Common conditions that qualify for disability:
- Blindness and hearing impairment
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Cancers of all kinds
- Fibromyalgia
- Heart conditions
- Thyroid disorders
- Accidental or non-preventive injuries
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
- Crohn’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
There are many more conditions not on this list that qualify in the eyes of the SSA, which is why approval is done on a case-by-case basis. The SSA will look at the documented medical proof that your condition has rendered you unable to do the work you performed before. The SSA will then determine whether or not you can adjust to other work and, if not, then you are entitled to benefits from SSI or SSD, or possibly another federal program.
How Do I Apply For Disability in Illinois?
Our disability attorney in Southern Illinois is here to help do things the right way the first time, so that you do not get denied. In fact, approximately 65 percent of first-time applicants are denied by the SSA. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Contact us or call 800-842-0426 for more information about your disability claim.
Some of the necessary information for the documentation includes:
- Military service discharge information
- Tax returns from the year prior
- Social Security numbers for your spouse and any dependents
- Banking information for direct deposit
- A disability report that includes:
- Contact information for yourself and a friend or family member
- Patient ID numbers and dates of treatment
- Names of any medications and the prescribing doctor
- Types of jobs and dates employed over the past 15 years
- Information of any other claims you have filed to receive benefits as a result of your disability
Why Do I Need a Disability Attorney to File a Claim in Illinois?
It is essential to have a Drummond Law disability attorney help you file a claim. While it generally takes the SSA around 3-5 months to file a decision, a recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that claimants who had a disability attorney were allowed disability benefits at a rate nearly 3 times higher than those without representation.
The disability process involves thousands of rules, regulations, and procedures — even unwritten ones. It’s a legal system in and of itself with its own courts and judges that decide who gets disability benefits. This is why you need the help of a disability attorney in Southern Illinois who knows the system inside and out to help ease your stress and avoid mistakes. Call us at 800-842-0426 or contact us.
When you get our Southern Illinois disability attorney involved in the application process from the beginning, you benefit from our:
- Experience — We have been helping clients with disability claims based out of our Southern Illinois for over 45 years, which means we know what it takes to win a case and what kind of evidence the SSA and administrative law judge need for benefits.
- Speed — We can often help you avoid costly delays in the process so that you can get the benefits you desperately need faster and at less cost to you.
- Advocacy — You need a strong advocate by your side who will not only present your case in the most favorable light, but also defend you in case there are medical advisors who are opposing your need.
- Results — We have won thousands of cases in our collective careers. In general, more benefits are awarded when you have representation on your side at the beginning of the disability application.
In addition, the Drummond Law disability attorney provides access to resources during this challenging time and ensures that you have those appropriate documents to back up your claim — making sure all of the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed.
Things to Know About Illinois SSD and SSI Disability Claims
If you have any questions or concerns, call us immediately at 800-842-0426 or contact us online for a risk-free case review.
Learn more about the requirements for each of these programs below:
Social Security Disability in Illinois
One of the easiest ways to understand the SSD program is to think of it as an insurance plan. You become eligible if you have paid “premiums” in the form of FICA taxes — which are automatically withheld from your paycheck — into the Social Security trust fund recently and over a sufficient period of time. Age and education also matter to the SSA.
Eligibility requirements for SSD:
- Disability
- Work history/built-up work credits — SSD is funded by workers and employers. In many cases, you need 40 credits in order to qualify, but some disabled younger people may still be able to qualify with fewer credits.
Supplemental Security Income in Illinois
The SSI program is meant for disabled people of any age and is generally needs-based. It is funded by general tax revenue, and is not dependent upon your work history, making it available to people with a low income and being unable to provide basic necessities for themselves.
Eligibility Requirements for SSI:
- Disability (any age)
- OR blindness (any age)
- OR age (65+)
- Limited/no income — less than $2,000 in assets for an individual and less than $3,000 for a couple
You may be eligible for any one of these programs or more than one at the same time. You need the help of our disability attorney in Southern Illinois to see where you qualify. Once we determine which program is right for you that will cover your needs, we’ll help you get started on the application. Contact us now or call us at 800-842-0426 to get started.
Social Security Disability for Children in Illinois
The Drummond lawyers for disability know that raising a child with a disability is one of the most difficult challenges a parent must face. And when both the child and the parent grow older, the child may be left with little support if something were to happen to the caregiver. Social Security provides a precaution for children who suffer from disabilities, as well as offering support to their families.
Eligibility Requirements for SSD for Children:
- Disability
- Limited resources/no income for the family
- Under the age of 18 — this includes children, stepchildren, adopted children or grandchildren
- OR under the age of 19 — if child is attending elementary or secondary school full-time
- Older than 18 — Unmarried adult children who lost their parents or if those parents are claiming disability benefits. The child must have also been diagnosed with a disability before the age of 22.
Disability Attorney in Illinois | Drummond Law
The Drummond Law disability attorney team has successfully helped over 10,000 clients in Southern Illinois and throughout the Midwest receive disability benefits. As disability attorneys, we specialize in simplifying the process of filing a claim. You have spent the majority of your life working. You have devoted time away from your loved ones to help provide for them. If a disability is affecting your ability to pay bills and provide for those loved ones, it is critical that you have our lawyers fight for you. We make sure you and your family are looked after during these difficult times.
Call us at 800-842-0426 or contact us online for a no-cost, confidential case review.