SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY LAWYERS COLUMBIA, SC
The Robertson Wendt Disability law firm merged with The Finkel Law Firm
in 2016, bringing over thirty years of experience helping clients obtain
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits.
Attorney
Robertson Wendt, a board-certified specialist in the area of SSDI[1], has trained and supervised Attorney
Elizabeth Von Keller of our Columbia office, Attorney
Shannon Dillehay of our Charleston office, and our disability legal staff to represent
clients with the highest degree of professionalism and service.
SSDI is a critical benefit that can provide you with monetary benefits
and health benefits. A qualified attorney will know exactly what evidence
is necessary to prove your case and how to obtain it, so you are strongly
encouraged to enlist the services of an attorney who specializes in disability
law in proving your case.
For disabled individuals, there are four different types of SSDI benefits
that you may be eligible for:
-
Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) for those who have worked five out of the last ten years.
-
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for those who meet the financial means test or are under the age 18.
-
Disabled Widows Benefits (DWB) for those who are 50 years or older but under 60, whose spouse earned
enough work credits to qualify for Social Security benefits, and who became
disabled within seven years after their spouse passed away.
-
Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits for adults, including special needs children, who became
disabled before reaching age 22 and whose parent began receiving Social
Security retirement or disability benefits, or whose parent has died.
The disabled adult cannot be married and must be dependent on the parent.
Whether or not the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers you eligible
for SSDI benefits depends on if you meet the agency’s definition
of “disabled.” The agency will only consider you disabled if:
- You are unable to do work you’ve done in the past 15 years or any
other full-time work in the national economy; and
- The agency determined you can’t adjust to other full-time work because
of your physical and/or mental condition(s); and
- Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months
(or result in death).
For children under age 18, the agency’s definition of “disability”
compares the child’s functioning to that of a same age child without
a disability.
The medical evidence of your physical and/or mental impairment(s) is critical
for proving that you meet the legal definition of disability. Our attorneys
can help guide you through the initial application and appeals process.
They know what to look for and how to identify mistakes you may have made
on your initial application, and they can also help gather the evidence
you need to present it correctly to an Administrative Law Judge.
Our experienced and compassionate attorneys can help you get the benefits
you deserve! They serve clients at all levels of the process, including
the initial application and appeal through the Administrative Hearing
level, District Court level, and Circuit Court level. Our attorneys can
also help direct you towards other types of benefits that you may be eligible
for, such as community care programs, Long Term Disability, State or Federal
retirement plans, worker’s compensation, or Veteran’s Disability Benefits.
To learn more about Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits, contact
our office for a free telephone consultation, or visit our disability website,
https://www.robertsonwendt.com/
See also “Top 4 Myths about Social Security Disability Insurance,” written by our very own Attorney Elizabeth Von Keller.
[1] Robertson Wendt has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
(NBTA) since 2008 as a specialist in Social Security Disability Law.
Contact us at (803) 470-0118 to see how our SSDI attorneys can help.