Social Security Disability in Pennsylvania: Most Claims Are Won at the Hearing

The stages

Missing a deadline generally means starting again, which costs you months and can affect your back pay.

SSDI and SSI are different

SSDI is based on your work record and the contributions you paid. SSI is needs based and depends on limited income and resources. Some people are eligible for both. Which one applies changes what you receive and when payments start, so it is worth knowing which you have applied for.

What the decision maker is actually asking

Whether you can perform any substantial gainful work in the national economy, not just your old job. Age matters considerably: the rules become more favorable in older age brackets, because retraining expectations reduce.

The evidence that matters is functional. Not the diagnosis, but what you can do for how long: how long you can sit, stand, walk, lift, concentrate and sustain attendance. A claim describing symptoms without translating them into functional limits is the commonest weakness.

Working while you apply

Earnings above the substantial gainful activity threshold will generally result in denial regardless of your condition. Part time work below it is possible but it is scrutinised, and the amount changes annually. Get advice before taking work during a claim, because it can undo months of process.

What representation costs

Nothing up front. The fee is set as a percentage of past due benefits subject to a cap fixed by federal regulation, and it must be approved. If there is no back pay award there is generally no fee.

If you also have a workers compensation claim

They interact through the offset rules, and a compensation settlement structured without regard to the disability claim can reduce what you keep. Handling both together is how that gets managed, and it is one of the reasons this firm runs them from the same office.