Many New Jersey residents who are ill, injured or suffer from a condition that prevents them from working will want to get Social Security disability benefits. These benefits can provide them with financial assistance and let them get the medical treatment they need. A critical factor toward getting an approval is to meet the federal requirements to be declared disabled. There are nuances to this that applicants and their family must understand. While many people have a singular issue that will warrant benefits, a vast proportion of people who believe they are disabled do not meet these benefits’ requirements, but have several impairments. Not meeting the criteria with one issue will generally warrant a denial, however multiple impairments could be combined to get an approval.
If the person has severe impairments and they are unrelated, the Social Security Administration cannot combine two or more so the applicant meets the requirements of their condition lasting for the full 12-month duration. If there is a severe impairment and then another severe impairment arises, but they are not believed to last for 12 months, the SSA will not return a finding of disabled. When there are concurrent impairments, the SSA will assess them in combination and decide if they are severe. If the SSA expects one or more to improve in those 12 months so the combination of impairments is not severe, the person will not meet the requirements to be disabled.
When the determination of the person’s condition meets the required medical severity for eligibility for disability, the SSA will gauge the combination without concern as to whether they would meet the requirements if they were considered on an individual basis. If the combination is considered severe, the impact will be assessed in combination. If the combination is not found to be medically severe, there will be a denied claim.
Not everyone who is disabled has a single issue that will warrant an approval for SSD benefits. If there is a combination or more than one issue, it is possible that there will be an approval. Understanding how the SSA assesses these cases is critical. A law firm that helps people with their Social Security disability cases at any point in the process should be contacted for advice and help.
