What is the Pennsylvania State Disability Waiting Period?
If you plan to apply for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, hiring an experienced lawyer is important. Without an attorney by your side, you might have to wait longer to get the disability benefits you need to support you and your family.
After applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, Pennsylvania applicants can expect to wait three to five months before they hear back from the Social Security Administration (SSA). If your initial claim is denied, you can request a review within 60 days of rejection. The appeals process can be lengthy, often taking months or even years to complete. This can negatively impact Pennsylvania families in need of a reliable income. In order to speed up the entire process, Pennsylvania applicants can hire an experienced disability lawyer to help them get the benefits they deserve.
Our attorneys are here to help Pennsylvania residents take advantage of the disability benefits available to them. For a free case evaluation with the Pennsylvania disability lawyers at Young, Marr, Mallis & Deane, call today at (215) 515-2954.
How Long Does it Take to File for Disability Benefits in Pennsylvania?
Before you can start receiving disability benefits in Pennsylvania, you must apply for them. In order to apply for benefits, you must gather the necessary information. It can take days, even weeks, for SSDI applicants to source the proper financial and medical records required by the Social Security Administration. To speed up the preparation process, applicants can turn to an experienced Pennsylvania disability lawyer.
In order to successfully apply for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, applicants must gather the necessary information regarding their work history and medical condition. The SSA may also require certain personal details from SSDI applicants. The following are some common records and information SSDI applicants should gather when preparing a disability benefits application in Pennsylvania:
- Birth certificate
- Social Security Number
- Proof of U.S. citizenship
- S. military discharge papers
- W-2 forms from the last year
- Self-employment tax returns from the last year
- Medical records
- Award letters
- Pay stubs
- Proof of Workers’ Compensation benefits
In addition to providing certain documentation, applicants must also be prepared to answer certain questions about their finances, health, and personal lives. Your family history, marriage, children, previous occupation, and other facts about your life are all fair game. After you submit an initial application, the SSA might request an interview. During this interview with an SSA representative, it is important that you have an experienced Philadelphia disability lawyer by your side. In addition to helping you prepare the necessary documentation for your SSDI benefits application, your attorney can help you prepare for any questions an SSA representative may ask you during an interview.
Preparing to apply for SSDI benefits is a crucial process. Because of the high volume of documents and records required by the SSA, victims may have difficulty sourcing the necessary information themselves. Your attorney can help you compile the right records so that your SSDI application is thorough and accurate.
What is the Waiting Period for a Disability Claim Review in Pennsylvania?
Once you have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in Pennsylvania, it may be several months before you hear back from the SSA. While it’s normal to wait a few months before hearing back about a claim’s approval, waiting too long can cause financial strain for Pennsylvania families. If your claim seems to be unnecessarily delayed, reach out to an attorney right away.
Generally, it takes about three to five months to hear back from the Social Security Administration regarding an SSDI benefits application. Those months can be grueling for Pennsylvania residents, unable to work and unsure of where their next paycheck will come from. If it has been several months since you submitted an application for SSDI benefits and you still have not received a decision from the SSA, reach out to an attorney. Your lawyer can get in contact with the Social Security Administration to inquire about the delay. Miscommunication, such as missed phone calls or letters, can delay claims. Your attorney can get to the bottom of the situation and help you straighten things out with the Social Security Administration so that your SSDI benefits application gets reviewed and approved as quickly as possible.
Remember, at any point during the review process, an SSA representative might reach out with additional questions. An interview might lengthen your claim’s review period, so it is important to determine an interview date as quickly as possible. If the SSA sends you an interview request, pass that request along to your attorney. A Bucks County disability lawyer can schedule an interview promptly so that it does not delay your claim’s review.
How Long Do Pennsylvania Disability Applicants Have to Appeal a Denied Claim?
In the unfortunate circumstance that the Social Security Administration denies your application for SSDI benefits, it’s important to act quickly. Pennsylvania applicants only have a certain amount of time to appeal a decision. If you don’t begin the appeals process quickly, your access to benefits may be at risk.
Hearing that your disability benefit application was denied can be disheartening. You may be concerned and unsure how you will support your family after getting rejected by the SSA. The good news is Pennsylvania residents have an opportunity to appeal an initial rejection. However, the time period they have to do so is quite short.
If your SSDI application is denied, you will only have 60 days to begin the appeals process. This two-month period is not a very long amount of time for Pennsylvania applicants to review the SSA’s reasons for rejection and gather the necessary information to counter those reasons. In order to request an appeal within the necessary timeframe, hire an attorney. Your lawyer can identify potential issues with your initial application so that you can ultimately get the SSDI benefits you deserve.
Remember, Pennsylvania SSDI applicants have just 60 days after being notified of a rejected application to request an appeal from the Social Security Administration. Don’t hesitate to enlist help from an attorney, as failure to file an appeal within the necessary timeframe could cause you to lose access to SSDI benefits.
What is the Waiting Period for a Disability Claim Appeal in Pennsylvania?
The appeals process for rejected SSDI applications is lengthy. Depending on the current influx of appeals and the success of your appeal, it might be months, even years, before your case is settled. To speed up the process and your chances of success, hire a Pennsylvania disability lawyer to help you appeal your rejected SSDI application.
Depending on the reasons for a denial, applicants may have to complete various forms and compile additional information outlining their eligibility for SSDI benefits. For example, if you were denied because of your medical condition, you will need to complete Form SSA-3441 and Form SSA-827. If the basis for an appeal is because you disagree with a non-medical decision cited by the SSA as a reason for rejection, you must use Form SSA-561. Pennsylvania applicants can mail completed appeal forms to the SSA, or complete the necessary forms online. Your attorney can help you identify the right forms to complete based on SSA’s reason for rejecting your application.
There are four potential stages in the appeals process for rejected SSDI claims. The first stage is reconsideration. With an attorney by your side, reconsideration may be successful, meaning you will be granted benefits and the appeals process will be over for your case. If reconsideration is unsuccessful, you may have to move forward with a hearing by an administrative law judge. This hearing is followed by a review with the SSA’s Appeals Council, which is followed federal court review.
All in all, the appeals process for denied SSDI benefits applications can take several years. Each stage in the process can take months, leaving Pennsylvania residents without sufficient income during that time. This is unacceptable for many Pennsylvania families. To quicken the appeals process and prevent your claim from getting rejected altogether, reach out to a Bensalem disability lawyer. The right attorney can help you get through the appeals process quickly so that you get access to the SSDI benefits you need as soon as possible.
What is the Average Waiting Period to Receive Disability Payments in Pennsylvania?
Once your SSDI benefits application has been approved, it may be some time before you start receiving monthly payments. That’s because the SSA wants to be absolutely sure you need and qualify for SSDI benefits before it starts sending you regular checks.
Generally, there is a five-month waiting period until Pennsylvania residents start getting SSDI benefits after they have been approved, with exceptions. This waiting period exists so that the SSA can verify your need for monthly payments and that your disability has not improved, which would make you ineligible for SSDI benefits.
There are exceptions to this waiting period for SSDI applicants with certain medical conditions. For example, Pennsylvanians with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly referred to as ALS, can start getting their monthly benefits almost immediately after a claim has been approved. To learn whether or not this exception to the general waiting period applies to your case, ask your Pennsylvania disability lawyer for clarification.
The exact day of the month you receive your SSDI benefits will depend on the day you were born. The following is the current SSDI payment schedule:
- Those born on the 1st through the 10th receive payments on the second Wednesday of each month
- Those born on the 11th through the 20th receive payments on the third Wednesday of each month
- Those born on the 21st through the 31st receive payments on the fourth Wednesday of each month
If you’re receiving SSDI payments through a parent’s earning record, you will get your monthly benefit according to your parent’s birthday.
If it has been more than five months since your SSDI benefits application was approved and you have not received your first payment, reach out to an attorney. Your Levittown, PA disability lawyer can get in touch with the necessary parties at the Social Security Administration to inquire about the delay.
How Can You Get Disability Benefits Faster in Pennsylvania?
Waiting too long to get the SSDI benefits they deserve can negatively impact Pennsylvania applicants and their families. Unable to work because of a medical condition, injury, or disability, Pennsylvania SSDI applicants often can’t afford to have a claim delayed or rejected. To get disability benefits faster in Pennsylvania, applicants can hire an experienced attorney.
A skilled disability lawyer can help you properly complete your SSDI benefits application so it gets approved sooner. Your attorney can help you prepare the necessary documents and information required by the SSA and anticipate any additional records that may be requested during the review process. In addition, a Montgomery County disability lawyer can advise you to continue getting the necessary medical care so that there is continuous documentation of your condition in case the SSA calls your eligibility into question.
Your attorney can help you navigate interviews with SSA representatives during the initial review process and during continuing disability reviews over the years. An experienced lawyer can help you speed up the appeals process if your initial application is denied so that you don’t have to wait longer than necessary to get the benefits you deserve.
When Pennsylvania residents attempt to apply for SSDI benefits without a lawyer by their side, their claims may be more likely to be denied. Hiring an attorney from the beginning can result in a sound initial application that contains all the necessary information and demonstrates your eligibility for SSDI benefits. This can help you avoid potential delays, like unnecessary interviews and lengthy appeals, so you can start getting your monthly SSDI benefit checks as soon as possible.
Ask Our Pennsylvania Lawyers About Disability Benefits Today
If you need assistance applying for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, our attorneys can help. For a free case evaluation with the Northeast Philadelphia disability lawyers at Young, Marr, Mallis & Deane, call today at (215) 515-2954.