Suffering an injury, accident or illness that leaves you disabled can be heartbreaking and permanently life-altering. When you can’t work to make ends meet and you have to deal with mounting medical bills, the stress you face can often make the situation worse. It’s even harder when you get denied for the disability compensation you need.
There are several kinds of disability compensation available to people who suffer injuries. Social Security disability and workers’ compensation are the most common. When you are denied compensation that you deserve in the Appleton, WI, area, it can take a great deal of knowledge to challenge the denial. That’s where Fitzgerald & Bomier Attorneys at Law come in.
Appleton, WI, Disability Attorney
Fitzgerald & Bomier are the Appleton, WI, disability attorneys you can count on to help you receive the compensation you deserve. We have many years of experience and knowledge with Social Security, workers’ compensation, and other forms of disability awards, and we can help you find the answers you need.
Legal claims are complex and can be very confusing. What’s worse, a single mistake can result in you getting denied the payments you desperately need to just make ends meet. On the up side, when your application is denied it isn’t the end of the world. Many people get turned down for disability the first time out. It does, however, require the right legal help to turn the situation around.
Social Security Lawyer Services
When most people think about Social Security, they immediately think about retirement. The truth is, however, that Social Security is in place to help people in a wide variety of hardship circumstances, from the death of a loved one, to suffering a serious injury.
Unfortunately, too many people over the years have tried to cheat the system. This has led to the Social Security Administration being rather overzealous in examining claims. The effort to stop fraud all-too-often results in turning down people who have a genuine need.
There are two different types of Social Security that you can get when you suffer a disabling condition: SSDI and SSI.
Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, is in place to provide aid to those who have paid into Social Security for a given period, and is based on your earnings. In order to be eligible for SSDI, you must meet specific disability criteria. Your monthly payment is based on your lifetime average earnings that were covered by Social Security (your FICA payments). It also provides Medicare insurance, with voluntary prescription drug benefits.
Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a cash assistance program that exists to help people with disabilities who also have limited resources and income. This income is drawn from general tax revenues, and while it’s nominally a Federal program, it’s administered by the state.
Most commonly, people are denied social security benefits because the agency doesn’t consider their injury or illness to meet the definition of a disability under the law. In such cases, it’s important to have Social Security lawyers like Fitzgerald & Bomier in your corner who can gather the right evidence to protect your rights and show that you are disabled and entitled to these benefits.
Workers’ Comp Lawyers
Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance that almost every employer is required to carry by law. It’s a “no fault” form of insurance, which means that it doesn’t matter whose fault the injury was, or how it happened, so long as it was in the normal course of your work duties. Even if you slip and fall while going to the bathroom, you’re entitled to workers’ compensation benefits as long as the injury is severe enough to keep you out of work for an extended period of time.
Workers’ compensation exists to pay for your medical bills and recovery, as well as help you recoup some of your lost wages. As soon as you get injured at work, it’s important that you receive medical attention and inform your supervisor of your injury; whose responsibility it is to get you the necessary paperwork, and to file the claim.
Much like Social Security, insurance companies are always looking to prevent fraud so getting your claim accepted can be tricky. That’s why many people have to fight to get their claims pushed through. If this happens to you, you need Appleton, WI, workers’ comp lawyers like Fitzgerald & Bomier to make sure you get the compensation you need, to regain control of your life.
Workers’ Compensation And SSDI Together
In some cases, you may be eligible to receive both workers’ compensation and (Social Security Disability Insurance) SSDI. However, while these are separate programs, the amount you receive from one can offset the other. Workers’ compensation is intended as a stop-gap fix for those who are expected to return to work at some point, or who are waiting for SSDI benefits to go through.
Because of this, you are limited to the total amount of money you can recover from both workers’ comp and SSDI together. If you receive more than 80% of your prior income from both programs together, your SSDI will be reduced accordingly. Likewise, if your workers’ comp runs out, you can notify Social Security and they will raise your benefits.
In addition, the definition of a disability is very different between the two. Workers’ comp disability simply means you can’t do the job you used to do. Under the (Social Security Administration) SSA, on the other hand, you have to be completely disabled. This means you can’t perform any work for any employer, and can’t be reasonably trained for new employment. In addition, the condition must last for at least a year or is expected to result in your death.
Fitzgerald & Bomier
If you’ve suffered a disabling condition and you can no longer do your job, the Appleton, WI, disability lawyers at Fitzgerald & Bomier Attorneys at Law are here to help. We will fight for your rights and get you the compensation you deserve. Get in touch with us for a free consultation today.