Car accidents, slip and falls, workplace injuries and more all lead people into new stages of their life where they have to adjust. If you have a new disability, then it may be difficult to map out exactly how you plan to move forward in your life. It’s reasonable because many people simply never consider being paralyzed, losing hearing, or losing a hand as possibilities.
What happens when you have a new disability? There’s a huge adjustment period. You’ll need to learn to get past everyday struggles that never bothered you before.
Get Your Health Concerns Sorted Out First
Are you healthy? Are you on the road toward a full or compromised recovery? Can you do everyday tasks in your current health state? Apply this last question to things such as washing your hands, getting around, brushing your teeth, and managing your basic bodily functions. If you aren’t handling these in the near future, then you need to have a long-term health improvement plan.
Having a plan with goals and milestones so that you can monitor and manage your health concerns as your condition improves. Many disabilities that are life-changing either come with an unexpected diagnosis such as MS or after a serious accident.
For example, if you became paralyzed from the waist down in a crash, then you might need to map out your projected recovery. That way, you can assess your health concerns and prioritize specific elements of your recovery.
For those on SSDI, it’s likely that your medical team agreed you should be out of work for at least 12 months for a complete recovery. Take the time that you will be on disability to put all of your efforts into your health situation.
Find a Community for Your Disability
Through your local colleges, community centers, and other resources, you can find a support group for your disability. You may need to broaden looking into a broader definition of the disability, but still, you can access support. It’s often good to find a mixed group where you have patients as well as supporters, such as family members.
These support groups can be intimidating at first, but they can also lead to life-long friendships as you begin to handle your new disability with a fellow patient. Use these groups to grasp an understanding of what you really should be able to accomplish and overcome. It may seem like getting out of the front door is nearly impossible now, but you’ll soon hear about people going shopping, traveling out of the country, and more. It’s empowering and enlightening.
Should You File for SSDI or SSI?
If you have a new disability from anything, whether it was an accident or a diagnosis, you should file. You may not go back to work right away. Even if you work from home or in an office, you need to dedicate time and focus on your medical recovery or adjustment.
For example, someone with an MS may be able to return to work quite quickly. However, the adjustment period to taking a new medication, making changes in your lifestyle, and learning to manage your condition is taxing.
Filing for SSDI is something you can consider doing. If you’re over a certain age and meet other criteria, then you can go through and apply for SSI instead. It is a choice between one or the other, and you should talk to an attorney about which is best for your situation. An SSI or SSDI attorney in Milwaukee can spell out your options and the criteria for each.
Contact a Local SSDI Disability Attorney on Your Case
Submitting a request for SSDI can be daunting not only because it’s an extensive and complex application, but because many people would rather be working. When you’re adjusting to life with a new disability, you’ll need time, and during that time, you’ll need some type of income. Many employers are willing or even happy to keep the position opened and reserved for your eventual return. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll have a paycheck coming your way. What you can do instead is to pursue SSDI.
At Tabak Law, we lay down what people need to file for SSI and SSDI, then we check through their application for common causes for denial. Afterward, if your claim is denied, we’ll go through the appeals with you step by step. Contact us at Tabak Law now for more information on applying for SSDI.