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How to Ease Financial Strain While Waiting for Your Disability Benefits

You can find yourself under considerable financial strain when a disabling injury or illness prevents you from working. Though your ability to earn an income has stopped, the influx of medical and household bills certainly hasn’t—and watching them flood the mailbox while you wonder how you’ll pay them can be extremely distressing.

Monthly Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can help alleviate this devastating financial uncertainty. If your disabling condition is expected to last a year or longer (or is terminal), you may be eligible. Unfortunately, the SSDI application process can be lengthy, confusing, and frustrating. Up to 70 percent of applications are rejected in the initial phase, often due to simple errors or omissions.

Here’s what you can do to speed up the application process and ease the financial strain while waiting for approval.

Apply for Benefits Now

Don’t wait until your disabling injury or illness has kept you out of work for 12 months to apply for SSDI. Start the application process as soon as your doctor informs you of the severity of your condition and tells you it’s expected to last a year or longer. Work with an experienced Social Security disability attorney when completing your application to avoid mistakes that could result in an unnecessary and time-consuming delay or denial.

Apply for Other Forms of Assistance

Depending on your situation, you may be eligible for a variety of public assistance programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). You can also check with the Salvation Army, the United Way, and other community organizations to find out what types of programs are available to assist you.

Other Potential Solutions

Additional options to help you manage your finances while you wait for SSDI approval include:

  • Trim your household budget of any unnecessary expenses
  • Consult lenders to refinance debts—such as home, auto, or personal loans—at a lower rate
  • Sell assets and valuable household items
  • Borrow money from family or friends
  • Start an online crowdfunding campaign

Consult a Knowledgeable SSDI Attorney

Let the adept Social Security disability attorneys with O’Connor Law PLLC handle your SSDI claim from application to approval. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.

 

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