Johnstown Heart Disease Disability Lawyer

Did your doctor just tell you that your heart disease means you can’t work? Struggling with the Social Security Disability (SSD) application? Already received a denial and are worried you’ve ruined your chance at getting benefits?

Our Social Security Disability attorneys can help no matter where in the application process you are. From answering your initial questions to the final stage of an appeal, a Johnstown heart disease disability lawyer at Berger and Green is there for you.

How Does a Heart Disease Disability Lawyer Assist with SSD?

Even if your ability to work slows down or stops, that doesn’t mean the bills do. So, don’t wait until you’re already in financial peril to start considering the options available through the Social Security Administration (SSA). Our Johnstown heart disease disability attorneys serve Pennsylvania heart disease sufferers like you by getting a jump start on securing your benefits.

We Help You Complete Your Application

Berger and Green’s SSD attorneys can start as soon as you realize your heart disease will affect your career. Our assistance includes the following:

• Going over the requirements for heart disease disability benefits
• Explaining any technical terms in easy-to-understand language
• Filling out your application with you to avoid common mistakes
• Filing the application with the SSA
• Ensuring the SSA has access to records and references
• Staying available to answer questions throughout the process

We understand the application process takes time, but we’re prepared for the long haul.

We Help You File an Appeal

The SSA denies many SSD claims initially, so don’t get disheartened if yours was among them. Our team can get to work immediately, determining the basis of your SSD denial, gathering documentation to counter it, and representing you at your hearing.

An appeal can be a multistep process, so hang in there while we work through the stages. We keep you updated, meet every deadline, and prepare you for how to interact with the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

We Help You Along the Way

In addition to having our heart disease SSD lawyers handle the work of your Johnstown case, we also go out of our way to make things easier for you. We provide:

• Free consultations to answer your questions about your case and our role.
• Regular conversations about your claim, your health, and our progress.
• Over four decades of experience we can relate to your case.
• Respect for you, your ongoing health concerns, your time, and your goals.
• Communication and support that we tailor to your needs.

We are ready to take over whatever we can in your case so that you can focus on managing your heart disease. Reach out to our firm now.

What Are Your Heart Disease Disability Benefits Options in Johnstown?

We answer that question by comparing your condition to the SSA’s Listing of Impairments, a.k.a. the Blue Book. The cardiovascular system section includes several heart conditions:

• Chronic heart failure
• Ischemic heart disease
• Symptomatic congenital heart disease
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Arrhythmias
• Heart transplants
• Aneurysms

The Blue Book also includes information about how the SSA determines eligibility, requiring documentation like medical history, exam results, lab tests and studies, and treatments. We’ll review these requirements with you, so you know what evidence to gather to support your application.

What Happens if the Blue Book Doesn’t Include My Condition?

Suppose your specific heart condition doesn’t appear in the Listing of Impairments, or you’re unsure you meet the criteria. In that case, our Johnstown heart disease attorneys can review how to qualify for Social Security if you don’t meet a Blue Book listing. That often means factoring in your:

• Age
• Education
• Work history
• Residual functional capacity

For example, if you’re over a certain age, have only manual labor experience, and can’t do any heavy lifting with your cardiovascular problems, the SSA is more likely to consider you disabled. We aim to help you present your whole story in your application.

Once our SSD lawyers verify your medical qualifications, we look at your work credits and income level to see which SSD benefits you qualify to receive:

• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Who Qualifies for Social Security Disability Insurance?

This program is for people who worked long enough to qualify for SSDI benefits. Your work credits function like paying an insurance premium—the more you’ve worked, the more you’ve “paid” into SSDI. Our Johnstown heart disease disability attorneys can review your work history to see if these benefits fit your situation.

Who Qualifies for Supplemental Security Income?

You could receive SSI regardless of your work history if you earn below a certain income threshold (which changes each year). What you receive is based on what you make and your other assets and resources. Berger and Green can identify certain income or assets that don’t need to count toward the limit.

What Are the Steps in a Heart Disease Claim for Social Security Disability?

A lot depends on your exact situation, but the steps for filing and accessing benefits often include the following:

• Completing and filing your application.
• Disability Determination Services (DDS) reviews your claim.
• DDS delivers its verdict on your claim.
• If DDS denies your claim, we start the appeals process with reconsideration.
• After a second denial, we advance to an ALJ hearing.
• If the ALJ again denies you, we request an Appeals Council review.
• A final denial leaves us with the option to file a lawsuit in federal district court.

While your claim progresses through this process, we understand that you are under a lot of stress, medically and financially. We want to ease this burden by handling every aspect of your claim. If the SSA bases your denial on a lack of medical evidence, we might procure more documentation, ensure we include the right doctors’ information in your appeal, and correct any mistakes.

Our heart disease disability lawyers in Johnstown understand that getting SSD benefits may not be accomplished overnight. So, if anything comes up, let us know, and we’ll get to work.

We’re Johnstown Heart Disease Lawyers Who Care About You

A Johnstown heart disease disability lawyer from Berger and Green has evaluated thousands of cases like yours over our 40 years in practice. We’ve treated each one with singular respect and attention. Let us evaluate yours. Contact us today to learn more and get a free consultation.