Oklahoma City – How To Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits?

Living with a disabling medical condition that keeps you from working is hard enough without the stress and frustration associated with the application process for Social Security disability benefits. You should be able to apply for Social Security disability without confronting challenges in the application process.

More than two-thirds of the people who apply for disability benefits receive a denial notification. They either give you in frustration or go through a lengthy appeal process to get the benefits they deserve.

This article shows you how to apply for disability in Oklahoma City. It takes you through the application process to familiarize you with it while showing you how to achieve a successful result. It also shows how the disability advocates at London Disability can be of assistance to you with unsurpassed knowledge of the Social Security law, rules and regulations.

Disability Programs Available Through The Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration has two disability programs – Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Each of them provides monthly payments when a disabling medical condition expected to last for at least 12 months prevents you from working, but they have different eligibility requirements that you must know about when you apply for disability in Oklahoma City.

In order to be eligible for benefits through the SSDI program, you must have a work history at jobs or self-employment where you paid Social Security taxes on the income. The work history must be of a long enough duration to qualify for benefits.

Your work history is reflected in work credits earned. For 2023, a work credit is earned for each $1,640 in earnings, and you can earn up to four credits each year. Generally, the younger you are at the onset of the disability, the fewer work credits needed to qualify for SSDI. A 23-year-old disabled worker needs six work credits to be eligible for SSDI, but eligibility for a 29-year-old is at least 16 work credits.

Meeting the work standard is only one step in the eligibility process for SSDI. You also must have a disability that matches the definition used by the SSA, which states that medical records must prove the following:

• You have a medically determinable physical or mental health impairment.
• You are unable because of the impairment or a combination of impairments to engage in substantial gainful activities, which are those activities typically associated with work.
• The impairment has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months.
• The impairments prevent you from returning to a type of work that you did in the past, or they prevent you from adjusting to other jobs available in the national economy.

Disability advocates can help you determine whether you meet the eligibility guidelines in order to apply for SSDI.

If you do not have enough work credits to qualify for SSDI, you may be eligible for disability benefits through SSI. SSI is a need-based program, so there are restrictions on the income and resources you may have available to be eligible for the program. Keep in mind that the purpose of SSI benefits is to provide the money needed for you to acquire food and shelter each month.

How Much Does Social Security Disability Benefits Pay?

Monthly benefits payable through SSDI are based on your lifetime earnings record. The maximum monthly SSDI benefit is $3,627 in 2023.

The monthly federal SSI benefit for an individual is $914 in 2023 and $1,371 for married couples when each spouse qualifies for SSI. Most states supplement the federal SSI benefit with state funds with some of the states using the approval of the federal application to determine eligibility for the state supplement.

Oklahoma offers a state supplement, but you must apply for it through the state in addition to applying for federal benefits. A disability advocate at London Disability can help you with your application for the state supplement in Oklahoma City

How To Apply For Social Security Disability In Oklahoma City?

You may file your application for SSI and SSDI online, by telephone, or at any field office of the SSA in Oklahoma City or elsewhere in the state. The SSA reviews the application to determine if you meet the non-medical eligibility requirements, which would be work credits for SSDI and income and resource restrictions for SSI, before it is sent to the Disability Determination Services in Oklahoma. The DDS is a state agency that completes the medical review process to decide if you are eligible for benefits

Get Help To Apply For Social Security Disability

Find out if you are eligible for Social Security disability and get assistance with your SSI and SSDI application in Oklahoma City from one of the disability advocates at London Disability. Contact us today for your free and no-obligation consultation.