How do you apply for disability in texas

When an individual suffers from heart failure, it can be impossible to maintain a full time job. Working a job with heart failure can be dangerous, yet the lack of income caused by an inability to work can result in significant financial stress. While it may seem like a vicious cycle, the good news is that Social Security Disability benefits may be the solution to this problem. Social Security Disability benefits can provide an individual who is suffering from heart failure with a monthly income as well as medical insurance to cover medical expenses.

Qualifying for SSI and SSDI

The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates two disability programs including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Each of these programs has its own criteria that an applicant must meet in order to qualify.

To qualify for SSDI benefits, an applicant must have earned enough work credits through prior work history. As of 2014, for every $1,200 earned, a worker earns one work credits and can earn a total of four work credits each year. The number of credits needed to qualify for SSDI benefits will vary depending on your age.

Unlike SSDI benefits, an applicant does not need any work history or work credits to qualify for SSI benefits. Instead, SSI is a needs-based program. Benefit eligibility is based on household income and assets. As of 2014, an individual cannot have a household income of more than $721 per month as an individual or $1,082 per month as a couple or household assets exceeding $2,000 as an individual or $3,000 for a couple in order to qualify for SSI benefits.

For both SSDI and SSI benefits, an individual must meet the medical criteria set forth by the SSA to qualify.

For more information on the disability programs visit: http://www.ssa.gov/disability/

Meeting the Medical Criteria for Social Security Disability with Heart Failure

When applying for Social Security Disability benefits, the SSA will compare your condition to a listing of conditions known as the Blue Book. Each condition that could potentially qualify an individual for disability benefits is listed in this Blue Book, along with the criteria that must be met to qualify with each specific condition.

Chronic heart failure is addressed in Section 4.02 of the Blue Book. According to the Blue Book, in order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits due to heart failure, you must be able to prove that:

• You have been diagnosed with chronic heart failure while undergoing prescribed treatment; and
• There is medically documented evidence of systolic failure with left ventricular end diastolic dimensions greater than 6.0 cm or ejection fraction of 30 percent or less during a period of stability or diastolic failure with left ventricular posterior wall plus septal thickness totaling 2.5 cm or greater on imaging with an enlarged left atrium greater than or equal to 4.5 cm with normal or elevated ejection fraction during a period of stability; and
• Persistent symptoms of heart failure are present that seriously limit the ability to independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities of daily living or there are three or more separate documented episodes of acute congestive heart failure within a 12-month period or you suffer an inability to perform on an exercise tolerance test at a workload equivalent to 5METs or less.

For more information on qualifying for benefits with heart failure, visit: http://www.disability-benefits-help.org/disabling-conditions/heart-failure-and-social-security-disability

Applying for Disability Benefits

You can apply for Social Security Disability benefits online or in person at your local Social Security office. You will be asked to fill out a number of forms, which you should complete with as much detail as possible, and you may be asked to attend a consultative exam. After completing the disability application process, you will receive a decision from the SSA within two to four months. If you are approved for benefits, this notice will tell you when benefits will begin, which benefits you will be receiving, and how much you will be receiving each month. If you are denied benefits, you have 60 days from the date of denial to appeal the SSA's decision to deny benefits.

If you do need to pursue a Social Security Disability appeal, do not give up hope. A number of applicants who are denied during the initial stage of the application process go on to successfully receive benefits through the process of an appeal

A person is eligible (an “Eligible Individual”) to open an Account if he or she meets the following four requirements:

1. The person is a Texas resident.
2. The person can establish that he or she has a disability through one of the following ways:
   • SSI or SSDI Eligibility – The Social Security Administration has determined that the person is eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and he or she is still eligible to receive SSI or SSDI when he or she opens the account.
   • OR Physician’s Diagnosis – A licensed physician has provided a written diagnosis that the person is either:
     a) blind (within the meaning of the Social Security Act),
     or (b) has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that results in marked and severe limitations, and which can either be expected to result in death, or has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months.
     (Note: individuals do not have to provide us with a copy of the diagnosis during enrollment, but a copy of the diagnosis must be available upon request)
   • OR Compassionate Allowances Conditions – The person has a condition listed on the Social Security Administration’s list of Compassionate Allowances Conditions.
3. The person’s disability was present before age 26.
4. The person must have no other active ABLE account in their name except for during a Rollover or Program-to-Program Transfer process.

The Designated Beneficiary is the person for whom the Account is established. The Designated Beneficiary is the owner of the Account. The Program will require that the Designated Beneficiary, or their Authorized Legal Representative if applicable, to certify, under penalty of perjury, that the Designated Beneficiary meets the requirements listed above.

The Designated Beneficiary also must agree to keep any documents supporting his or her eligibility (such as the Social Security Administration’s SSI or SSDI awards letter or a physician’s written diagnosis), and, if the Program requests copies of these documents, to provide them within 30 days. If a Designated Beneficiary does not provide requested documentation within 30 days, the Program may suspend or close the Account.

If you establish an Account as an Authorized Legal Representative on behalf of a Designated Beneficiary, you also must agree to keep any documents demonstrating your status as an Authorized Legal Representative for the Designated Beneficiary in the event the Program requests copies of these documents. A Social Security Representative Payee will not be permitted to open an Account on behalf of a Designated Beneficiary unless the Representative Payee otherwise meets the requirements of an Authorized Legal Representative (such as a power of attorney, legal guardian, or parent).

The Application requires you to provide the Program with certain information, including your eligibility to open an Account, the Investment Options in which you would like to invest contributions, your name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number, and any other information the Program requests to identify you. Until you provide the information needed, you will not be able to transact on the Account.

If the Designated Beneficiary ceases to be an Eligible Individual, beginning on the first day of the Designated Beneficiary’s first taxable year for which the Designated Beneficiary does not satisfy the definition of an Eligible Individual, additional contributions to the Account will not be accepted by the Program, provided the Program has notice of such ineligibility. It is the responsibility of the Designated Beneficiary or their Authorized Legal Representative, if applicable, to notify the Program of any change in eligibility. Additionally, during the time the Designated Beneficiary is not an Eligible Individual, none of the Designated Beneficiary’s expenses will be considered Qualified Disability Expenses. You should carefully read the Responsibility to Notify Program of Changes in Eligibility section and Summary of Federal and Texas Tax Considerations section of the Program Disclosure Statement for more information.

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