SSDRC




Filing an Application for Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability List of Impairments

Social Security Disability and SSI Back pay

Social Security Disability Status

SSI Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability and SSI Requirements

Social Security, SSI, and Mental Disability

How Long Does It Take To Get Disability Benefits?

Qualifying: What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability?


Getting a Disability Lawyer in Illinois for a Social Security or SSI Claim


If you are filing for social security disability or SSI benefits in Illinois, it is highly likely that your case will ultimately be decided by an administrative judge. This is because the majority of disability cases filed in Illinois are turned down by disability determination services, both at the initial applications level and the first level of appeal (also called a request for reconsideration). Statistics released for Illinois by the federal office of disability programs are somewhat disconcerting: 62.2 percent of initial disability applications filed in Illinois were denied over the past two years, and the news was even worse for those who appealed their decisions, who were denied a whopping 87.1% of the time.

These numbers should not deter disabled individuals in Illinois from filing for SSD or SSI benefits, but should prepare them for the reality that it is neither easy nor certain for an individual, regardless of their medical condition, to be awarded disability benefits by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The simple fact is that most claims for disability, in Illinois and in every state across the nation, are denied by disability determination services. That means that most claimants will have to appeal their case to the next level of consideration, which involves an administrative hearing before a disability law judge. Should those filing for disability in Illinois be represented by an attorney at this hearing? In this instance, the answer is almost certainly yes. A number of studies have indicated that cases that are presented to an administrative law judge by a disability lawyer have about a 50% greater chance of winning than those in which the claimants represent themselves.

It is true that some cases are approved by disability determination services upon their initial application, and that some claimants do receive benefits without ever having received legal counsel of any kind. These cases, however, are in the minority. If you are filing for disability in Illinois and your initial application is turned down, the odds are great that your case is not persuasive enough to convince a state disability examiner, and you should strongly consider hiring an experienced disability attorney to help you build your case and present the strongest possible argument at your second appeal before an administrative judge.















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  • Social Security Disability & SSI Resource Center

  • Social Security Disability, SSI Questions and Answers














    Questions and Answers about Social Security Disability and SSI Disability


  • Questions about Disability Lawyers and Hiring a Disability Attorney

  • Social Security Disability Hearings - what to expect

  • How Can I Get Social Security Disability If I Have Not Worked For A Long Time?

  • How do you get Disability Approved when you file with Social Security?

  • How Does A Social Security Disability Examiner Determine a Person’s Functional Limitations?

  • Application Requirements For Disability - What Do I Need To Start The Claim?

  • What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits

  • How to Qualify for Social Security Disability or SSI

  • Steps for Filing A Disability Claim Under SSI or SSD

  • What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI?

  • Will Social Security Grant Disability If I Have Not Been To the Doctor?

  • The Difference Between Filing A New Disability Claim And Filing A Disability Appeal?

  • Can my Social Security Disability or SSI benefits be stopped or cutoff ?

  • How will Social Security Determine if you get Disability Benefits?

  • When you file for disability and have both Mental and Physical Conditions

  • There are different Methods of Eligibility for Social Security Disability Children Benefits

  • How Long Do I Get To Keep My Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits?

  • How does Social Security determine if I am disabled or not?

  • When You Apply For Disability Do You Need To write Down Everything That Is Wrong With You?

  • Does Social Security Disability prefer Current Medical Records for SSDI and SSI claims?

  • Social Security Disability — when to file

  • Social Security Disability and SSI Mental Claims and Criteria

  • Who handles my case if I apply for Social Security disability ?

  • Do You Automatically Get Approved For Disability If You Have Had A Stroke?

  • How Many Times Will Social Security Disability Deny You before You Get Approved?

  • The Social Security Disability Approval

  • Can you qualify for disability benefits if you did not work much ?

  • To qualify for Social Security disability or SSI, how severe must a condition be?

  • Why Are Child SSI Cases Often Turned Down By Social Security Examiners?

  • What Do I Do to File a Social Security Disability Appeal

  • How Disabled Does One Have To Be To Collect Disability?

  • How do you find out if a Social Security disability claim has been approved or denied ?

  • What is the Chance of Winning an SSA appeal for disability?

  • Is qualifying for SSI different than SSD ?

  • Receiving Disability Benefits from Social Security is harder at the first two levels than at a Hearing

  • Is getting social security disability easier for mental or physical problems?

  • How do you apply for disability if you have depression problems ?

  • How Long Will It Take For A Decision Letter For Social Security Disability?

  • Working while getting Disability - is it possible?

  • When do you receive a Hearing for Disability?

  • Applying for Disability - How long does it take to get Social Security benefits?

  • Why Do Social Security Disability Claims Take So Long?

  • What Disabilities Qualify for SSI Disability Benefits?

  • What does SSA consider a severe impairment for Social Security Disability or SSI Disability Benefits?

  • What Benefits come with SSI Disability?

  • What Determines Social Security Disability Income?

  • Does Social Security Disability Have a Time Limit?

  • How Does Social Security Decide If You Are Disabled Or Not?

  • Will Coronary Artery Heart Disease qualify you for disability?

  • Social Security Hearing- How do I Request one, how long will it take?

  • Does The Social Security Reconsideration Take as Long As The Disability Application?

  • Social Security Disability, SSI, Mental Disorders, and Functional Limitations

  • Filing for Social Security Disability or SSI with Crohn's Disease

  • How Often Does Social Security Approve Disability The First Time You Apply?

  • The Cost and Expenses of a Disability Attorney or a Disability Representative

  • Does Social Security Depend on Your Illness or the kind of Work that You Did?

  • What should you say if you go to a Social Security Exam?

  • What does the social security administration definition of disability actually say?

  • Can you still Appeal if the Judge denies your Disability Claim?

  • Qualifying for disability benefits with the social security administration

  • Can you apply for SSI for a learning disability ?

  • Can you apply for disability if you have a mental condition ?

  • Social Security Disability - What is protective filing ?

  • Responsibilities of the Disability Representative Before and After the Social Security Hearing

  • When Social Security Disability Sends You To A Doctor, What Kind Is It?

  • Are Social Security Disability Claims Based On Back Pain Usually Turned Down?

  • Still Waiting For My Social Security Disability Decision

  • PTSD, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

  • How Long Does it Take To Get An Answer On A Social Security Application For Disability?

  • Filing for Social Security Disability or SSI with Bipolar Disorder

  • After a Social Security Disability or SSI Claim has been taken and is Pending

  • What do you do if your Social Security Disability or SSI Claim is denied?

  • Is Bipolar Disorder a disability according to Social Security?

  • How is the Determination for Disability made by Social Security?

  • Who Do I Contact at Social Security To File For SSD or SSI Disability?

  • How will an attorney help me win disability benefits?

  • What is the Purpose of the Social Security Disability SSI Medical Exam, or CE?

  • Am I Eligible For Social Security Disability?

  • What does it mean if Social Security sends you to a Psychiatrist?

  • If You are Denied for Disability, What Should You do First?

  • Will the Medical Rules for Receiving Disability Grant Benefits for Short Term Social Security or SSI?

  • Do I Have A Good Chance Of Winning Social Security Disability On Appeal?

  • What steps do you follow if you get denied for disability?

  • Is A Three Year Old With Disabilities Eligible For SSD Or Only SSI?

  • Do I automatically receive Medicare benefits if I'm approved for disability benefits?

  • Can You Work While You Appeal Your Social Security Disability Decision?