It’s important to have all the information when filing for disability benefits.
Oftentimes, clients come into the Law Offices of Harold W. Conick and Associates discouraged by what the Social Security Administration has told them about their disability benefits. Perhaps there has been a denial of their claim, or perhaps they called a local office and didn’t receive the information they needed.
In any case like this, it is important to consult with an attorney to ensure claimants can get what they deserve from their application for disability benefits.
On PBS’ website, Boston University economist Larry Kotlikoff said he receives emails nearly every day “from people who have been misled or misinformed, sometimes terribly,” by the SSA. In an attempt to clear up some of this confusion, Kotlikoff created a blog post to help cut away at much of the misinformation he has heard over time.
While we recommend visiting PBS’ website to read the entire post, one point pertinent to readers of our site is that it is not necessarily true that disabled workers can collect auxiliary benefits, such as window(er), spouse, divorced spouse or other similar benefits.
“Disabled workers are treated as having filed for their retirement benefits,” Kotlikoff writes. “This is true before and after they reach full retirement age, at which point their disability benefit is called their full retirement benefit. Filing for your retirement benefit means that you can never collect an auxiliary benefit by itself while letting your retirement benefit grow. Instead, your auxiliary benefit is transformed into your excess auxiliary benefit.”
If you have other questions or concerns about SSA disability benefits, don’t hesitate to contact our offices for the help you deserve.
