Youngstown Heart Disease Lawyer

If your heart condition interferes with your ability to work, you could qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Filing and navigating the process can prove challenging, given the technical jargon and myriad requirements. A Youngstown heart disease lawyer from Berger and Green can clarify the requirements you must satisfy and assist you in filing and appealing a denied claim. What’s more, we talk to you for free to get started.

Why Choose Our Youngstown Attorneys for Your Heart Disease Claim?

When it comes to your health—physical and financial—you want to know where you stand. Yet a disability can cause uncertainty regarding your health and financial stability. At Berger and Green, we want to eliminate the guesswork of life with a disability by supporting you in any way we can with your SSD benefits.

Our Social Security Disability lawyers serving Youngstown can assist with several aspects of the claims process, including:

• Understanding SSD and how it applies to you
• Using clear language to explain everything
• Filing your SSD application on time
• Explaining the steps in the process
• Gathering additional evidence for an appeal
• Answering your questions at any time

We have decades of experience, so we know the many paths your case could take. Don’t let the complexities of SSD benefits overwhelm or dissuade you from applying. Instead, you can ask for help from a law firm that knows the system.

Our Customer Service Promises

When you hire Berger and Green, you can count on:

• No obligations: You can meet with us for free for a consultation.
• No fees or costs: You don’t pay anything unless we obtain your benefits.
• No hassle: We are available via phone or email from the very beginning. 

Our Youngstown Heart Disease Lawyers Help With Social Security Disability Insurance Eligibility

Having heart disease does not necessarily mean you qualify for SSD benefits. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), it considers your heart disease a disability if it:

• Prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity
• Prevents you from returning to previous work or engaging in new work
• Lasts or is projected to last at least a year or cause death

In addition, you also must meet certain work- or income-related requirements. The requirements vary based on which Social Security benefits you pursue.

The SSA’s website often refers to its definition of disability as “strict.” What counts as “substantial gainful activity” can also prove challenging to understand. Moreover, the SSA’s 2020 Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program found that an average of 67 percent of disability claims are denied.

Applying for benefits may therefore feel deliberately arcane. Our lawyers work to help you through these strict requirements by clearly explaining what is required of you and helping you file for benefits. Even though the process can take time, we stay on your case until the end.

Qualifying Heart Conditions for Social Security Disability

According to the SSA Blue Book, the following heart conditions could qualify you for benefits if they prevent you from working:

• Chronic heart failure
• Ischemic heart disease
• Recurrent arrhythmias
• Symptomatic congenital heart disease
• Heart transplant
• Aneurysm of aorta or major branches
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Peripheral arterial heart disease

Your doctor can provide evidence for your initial application and the appeals process. Helpful documentation ranges from scans and imaging to stress tests and reports from your physician.

We Help With SSDI and SSI Benefits for Heart Disease

SSD benefits fall into two categories: Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance. At Berger and Green, we can assist with your pursuit of either or both forms of benefits.

Supplemental Security Income

As the name suggests, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is an income-based program that provides additional financial resources for people with a disability. Your heart disease could qualify you for SSI if your gross income, resources, and other earnings are under certain limits.

Social Security Disability Insurance

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides coverage for disabilities much like a traditional insurance company—you must participate to receive benefits. With SSDI, that means earning a certain number of work credits per year. You are typically eligible if you have a minimum of 20 credits. However, since each case is unique, our Youngstown heart disease attorneys can discuss the current requirements with you when we evaluate your case.

Steps in a Heart Disease Disability Case

Disability benefits claims for Youngstown heart disease cases generally follow this path:

1. You gather documentation for your application.
2. You submit your application.
3. SSA reviews your condition and earning ability.
4. You may need to send additional documentation or answer questions.
5. SSA processes your application.
6. Ohio’s Disability Determination Services office makes a decision.
7. You can appeal the decision.

Naturally, this process is time-consuming, and experiencing a claim denial can feel demoralizing. Nonetheless, our firm can help you file your application, appeal your denial and represent at your hearing.. You are not alone, nor are you out of options, given that, on average, 67 percent of claims receive denials, according to the 2020 Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program.

How Our Youngstown, OH, SSDI/SSI Lawyers Help Prove You Deserve Heart Disease Benefits

You can enlist the help of our SSDI/SSI lawyers to support you through the filing process. We can help prove your claim by:

• Explaining what forms to file and where to file them
• Informing you of filing deadlines for applications and appeals
• Finding evidence of work history and income requirements for appeals
• Making sure the SSA can access your medical evidence and provider information
• Exploring the possibility of additional health conditions that qualify
• Guiding you through the process of your appeals hearing
• Representing you in hearings and important meetings

You’ll notice some of these points concern getting your information to where it belongs. In fact, a significant part of proving your claim is making sure the application and documentation are correct. You may meet all the qualifications for SSD benefits, but that means nothing if you miss a filing deadline or fail to correct an error in an appeal.

Our attorneys have experience with the logistics of filing for SSD benefits. When in doubt, ask us. 

Berger and Green’s SSD Benefits Lawyers Can Talk to You Today

Contact us today if your heart condition has affected your ability to work and you suspect you qualify for benefits. You can even reach out if you are already experiencing challenges in the claims process. Our Youngstown heart disease lawyers are available now to listen to your concerns and questions about applying for SSD benefits.