You always have the right to seek compensation for an injury in a car accident or damage to your vehicle. Depending on the severity of your injuries, there’s also a chance you may be eligible for Social Security insurance benefits. Disability benefits are available to people who cannot work because of physical or mental injuries sustained in a car accident.
When it comes to applying for benefits, proving your eligibility, and gathering medical evidence, it can be tough. Recovering can also be stressful. The article will help you understand how Social Security disability benefits work.
Understanding Social Security Benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers monthly payments to individuals who qualify for two disability programs.
First, there is the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. It is available to people who can’t work due to a physical or mental disability lasting a year or more. Income tests are generally required to qualify. Disability benefits are also available to the families of disabled workers.
Second is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This program provides cash assistance to disabled or elderly people with little income and assets.
What Kinds of Injuries Qualify for Disability Benefits?
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), several impairments on its listing are highly likely to qualify for benefits. Your eligibility might be easier if you have one of these disabling conditions.
Disability benefits may be available for car accident victims if injuries include the following:
- Mental and physical disability due to the accident
- Loss of the ability to engage in substantial gainful activity
- Inability to return to the previous job due to injuries
- Injuries prevent the victim from doing less demanding work
Types of Car Accident Injuries Qualified for SSDI or SSI
Social security benefits have strict eligibility requirements. Applicants must meet strict financial criteria for SSI benefits, and for disability benefits, they must meet rigorous medical criteria. Disability benefits may be available for the following types of injuries:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Several factors can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI), including being struck by a flying object, being jerked, or being penetrated by a foreign object. In addition to home health care, physical therapy, and surgery, victims and their families may suffer long-term effects from treatment and recovery.
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Paralysis
Injuries to the spinal cord can take many forms, and depending on where the injury occurs, it can impair mobility differently. Some victims of car accidents may lose the ability to use their necks, arms, legs, torsos, and hands after sustaining severe spinal cord injuries. Life will never be the same for these individuals, and working may be impossible.
Aside from paralysis affecting your ability to move, the condition can require lifelong medical care at home.
Loss of a Limb
When limbs are damaged in a catastrophic car accident, they can be amputated, severely impairing physical agility. A prosthetic device can often replace a missing limb, but the process can be frustrating and long.
As a result of a crash, the force of the impact can fracture arm and leg bones, tear tendons, or tear limbs from their sockets. After amputation or sustaining a limb injury, it may be impossible for you to lift, push, pull, grasp, climb, drag, or pivot.
Burn Injury
Burns that occur in automobile accidents can cause deep tissue damage, which can require months of painful skin graft procedures and years of recovery. These burns are usually caused by external sources of heat, such as fires, hot metals, steam, or scalding chemicals. These injuries can result in serious cosmetic damage and health complications, such as fatal infections. A victim of a car accident may not be able to return to work due to severe burns and permanent disfigurements.
Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Often, car accident victims recover from their physical injuries. Still, they battle lifelong emotional and mental hurdles because of the trauma of the accident or injuries caused by the accident.
Why You Should Hire a Car Accident Lawyer for Benefits Claims
Disability lawyers can help you apply for the appropriate SSD program if you have legal representation. You will need to provide medical records and bills to show how your injuries have affected you.
It may be possible for your lawyer to help you appeal if you are denied benefits by the Social Security Administration. You might find the appeals process intimidating if you try to navigate it alone. To increase your chances of winning SSD compensation, your SSD benefits lawyer can help you gather additional documentation and guide you through the appeals process.