Helping you get the benefits you need—today!
One of the recurring misconceptions about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits is that it is difficult to actually obtain them. While the application process is difficult, sometimes confusing, and often lengthy, qualified applicants need not allow that process by itself to be a barrier to approval of their claim.
At the Golden Injury Attorneys in Tampa Bay, our skilled Supplemental Security Income attorneys are dedicated to guiding Bradenton and Brandon residents through this complicated application process by helping each client to gather all of the documentation and other evidence that he or she needs, and to create the most effective presentation of each client’s unique claim before representatives of the Social Security Administration.
What do potential claimants need to know about the application process?
Unlike Social Security Disability (SSD) income benefits, in which applicants must have a work history of sufficient duration and paid a designated amount of Social Security taxes, eligibility for SSI benefits is determined several very basic factors. Recipients must either:
- Possess extremely limited income and assets
- Be age 65 or older
- Be legally blind, or
- Be disabled.
Applicants must be prepared to provide substantial documentation of any or all of these elements, beginning with relatively fundamental items such as proof of age and proof of citizenship (benefits are available only to U.S. citizens or eligible aliens) before proceeding to materials relating to your access to financial resources (such as bank accounts and property records) and the illness, injury or condition causing your disability (such as medical records and doctor opinions).
Get a FREE Consultation
or Call Us Today! (813) 413-8700
What happens if my application is denied?
In the state of Florida, first-time applications are reviewed by an examiner within a division of the Florida Department of Health. These examiners deny nearly three out of every four first-time SSI applications. For those denied benefits, however, the application process, however, does not immediately end. Upon submission of an appeal within sixty days of the original decision, applications are first subjected to “reconsideration” before a second examiner, and applicants are permitted to submit additional evidence in an effort to prove their claim.
Just under 9% of Florida applications are approved at this stage of the appeals process; in the meantime, those rejected again, now have the right to argue their claims at a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, and the right to be represented by a Florida Supplemental Security Income attorney.
Don’t be intimidated—an experienced Brandon Supplemental Security Income attorney is ready today to help you through this important process
At the law offices of the Golden Injury Attorneys, our knowledgeable Supplemental Security Income attorneys are dedicated to helping disabled Floridians successfully apply for the income benefits they need. We assist you by helping you compile documentation to support your claim, answering any questions and concerns you may have about the application itself, and, if necessary, representing you every step of the way through the appeals process. We can meet with you at your home or hospital if you cannot come to our Brandon or Bradenton offices. If you are experiencing financial problems due to long disability, we urge you to contact us today at (813) 375-0098, or contact us online for a free initial consultation.
