From your very first paycheck you have been paying for it. You remember the first check you got, right? You saw taxes deducted and Social Security deducted. You may have even gotten a little angry that they took the money because you could really use it yourself. Over time, you’ve become accustomed to it being taken from your check. But what exactly are they using that money for?
The money deducted from your checks goes into the Social Security fund. That fund pays out to people who retire or become unable to work. “In a way, it is both an insurance plan and retirement plan rolled into one,” said Maria Riddle, a Social Security attorney in Melbourne, Florida. “when you decide that it’s time to retire, you can inform the SSA and they will begin your retirement payments. If you are injured or get sick to the point that you are no longer able to work, then it’s there for that as well.”
The amount you receive is based on how much money you’ve put into the system and for how long. Naturally, if you made a good salary every year and a chunk of it went to Social Security payments, you deserve to be paid more than someone who has put much less into it. In fact, your standard and cost of living is higher, so it only makes sense.
A disability and Social Security attorney can help you apply for payments and improve your odds of being approved. They are an attorney who specializes in this field and are different than other kinds of attorneys. SSA only allows you to apply a few times before you are not eligible to apply any longer. An attorney improves your odds by about 50% on the initial application and by about 50% should you need to appeal.
Knowing what Social Security disability is and how an attorney that specializes in it can be of help is an important thing to learn. You never know when you will need to travel down that road.
