If you have a head injury, you can take steps to qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD). While a severe head or brain injury does impact your everyday life, you’ll need to prove that to the Social Security Administration (SSA) to obtain disability benefits. Symptoms don’t always happen all at once, so it’s important to keep all medical documents related to your injury ready for submission.
If your head injury prevents you from earning a living, then you might be eligible for SSD. Disabilities are subjective, so you will need to show that you are unable to work, cannot do the work you did before your head injury, cannot learn to do new work and that your head injury will last for at least 12 months or longer.
There are two Social Security programs offered for those with disabilities. The first, SSDI, includes benefits for the disability as well as insurance coverage. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is an additional benefit you may be entitled to based on your income and financial needs.
SSI is a needs-based program, so if you’re interested in qualifying for it, you’ll need to have financial documents to show that you are indeed in need of the extra funds. There are strict financial limits when you receive SSI, so you may not be able to earn any or only be able to earn a small amount of income.
Your attorney can talk to you more about the possibility of qualifying for SSD if you’ve suffered a head injury. You have a right to focus on your health instead of your financial situation.
Source: HeadInjuryRehab.org, “How to Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits with a Head Injury,” accessed Sep. 01, 2017
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