Financial Help When You Are Filing For Disability

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

If you are considering filing for social security disability (SSD) benefits, you are likely suffering from a medical condition that is seriously compromising, if not outright inhibiting your ability to perform tasks associated with work. You may already be experiencing a loss of earnings as a result of your condition, or be facing calls from bill collection agencies, or even the prospect of losing your home. For some individuals filing for SSD, paying for utilities, getting medical care, even putting food on the table, are tasks that get more difficult by the day.

The bad news is, the process of filing for disability is a long one. The initial claim can take four months (or longer) to be evaluated, after which 70 percent are rejected. The request for reconsideration can take several months as well, and around 85 percent of those are rejected as well. If you choose to file a new claim, you face starting all over, with the resultant waiting periods, after which you may be rejected once again. If you choose to appeal your case before an administrative judge (the most commonly recommended course of action), it could be two years before the case is heard.

The real question is, how do you survive financially while waiting to be approved for social security disability benefits? Well, the good news is, there are free resources available to those in need, and tapping these resources can help float you until your social security disability benefits are granted. In anticipation of these difficulties, you should take the following steps:

1. Get help paying your utilities. You local social services department should be able to provide you with the appropriate contact information, and may even offer one-time assistance for bills (not during the winter months). For help during the winter months, check into the low income energy assistance program (LIEAP).

2. Get help, even if it’s only temporary, with paying your medical expenses. Again, your local social services department or county health department should be able to point you in the right direction here, providing the names of free clinics, churches, charitable organizations, or prescription assistance programs with resources available to those in need. You may also consider filing for Medicaid, because some counties allow you to receive medical benefits while your claim is being processed, even if your disability claim is ultimately denied.

3. Get help putting food on the table. File for food stamps, WIC (if you have minor children), and any other food assistance programs available in your area.

Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page

Individual Questions and Answers

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

How to get Approved for Disability on the Basis of a Back Condition

What is the difference between Social Security disability and SSI ?

Can I work without it affecting my social security disability or SSI?

Filing a Social Security Disability Application

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

Will SSD Be Based On Newer Or Older Medical Records?

Has my Disability Claim Been Approved?

What medical conditions can you apply for disability for ?

How are Decisions on SSDI and SSI Disability Claims made by SSA?

Applying for disability benefits in Washington

What Disabilities Qualify for SSI Disability Benefits?

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

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

Does The Social Security Disability Reconsideration Have A Time Limit?

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

Eligibility for Social Security Disability Children Benefits

Social Security Disability SSI and Activities of Daily Living

Disability Claims Through Social Security — How Long is the Process?

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

If you are applying for Social Security disability when does Medicare start ?

Who is eligible for SSI Disability?

If I get disability will my children receive benefits ?

ADHD, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

Recent Medical Records for a Social Security Disability or SSI case

If Social Security Disability sends you to an Exam, will it be done by your doctor?

Proving Functional Limitations and why this is Important on a Disability Case

Social Security Disability Mental Testing

Can You qualify for Social Security disability or SSI on the basis of anxiety or panic attacks ?

Will I Qualify For SSI, How Do I Get Approved?

How much does Social Security pay in disability benefits ?

How long will it usually take to get a decision on a disability claim?

Insured Status is What Makes SSDI and SSI Different From Each Other

Fibromyalgia and disability

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

Social Security Disability SSI and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Wilson's Disease and Filing for Disability

Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Georgia

Are SSI claims denied more than Social Security disability claims ?

Can You Appeal A Decision By A Judge On A Social Security Disability or SSI Case?

SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials