Social Security Disability is a federal program that provides income assistance for workers who have medical conditions which prohibit them from working for 12 consecutive months. If you are applying for Social Security Disability in St. Petersburg, FL you will find that it can be an extensive process with specific requirements that will need to be met in order for you to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. Once you submit your application for benefits, your local Social Security Administration office will forward your case to the Florida Division of Disability Determination (DDD) where your medical records will be reviewed to assess whether your disability is severe enough to exempt you from substantial gainful employment. Depending on the information presented to the DDD by you and your doctor, a decision will be made either confirming your disability or denying that there is sufficient medical evidence to back-up your claim.
The Florida DDD makes decisions on hundreds of thousands of cases per year. Only about 27% of the initial disability claims submitted for decision are awarded. If your claim is denied, you will have the option to request a reconsideration of the initial decision and your case will go back to the DDD to be considered for a second time. If the claim is denied a yet again, you retain the right to appeal again and your case will be heard by an administrative law judge (ALJ) at a hearing. At present, the award rate at the hearing level for disability benefits cases in St. Petersburg is more than 50%.
St. Petersburg Health Resources
An important thing to consider in pursuing a social security disability case in St. Petersburg is your medical history. Your disability case depends largely on the ability of your medical history to substantiate disability claims. As such, you should make sure that you are being seen by a doctor who knows your history and is actively treating your disability. The DDD adjudicative team that makes the determination on your case will do so based on the findings in your medical history. By contacting the physician treating you and requesting your medical records, the adjudicative team will be able to inquire on the type of treatment you are receiving and specifically how your disability limits your ability to perform on the job. One of the keys to winning any St. Petersburg disability case is to make sure your medical file is up-to-date and complete.
If you do not have a regular treating physician or cannot afford to go to a doctor, there are health resources available to help you obtain the treatment you need. St. Petersburg has several free/reduced-cost health facilities to service you:
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF PINELLAS
1344 22nd Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33712
(727) 821-6701
PINELLAS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
205 Martin Luther King Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 824-6900
ST PETERSBURG FREE CLINIC
863 3rd Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 821 1200
BAYFRONT MEDICAL CENTER
701 6th St. S.
Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 823-1234
St. Petersburg Mental Health Resources
If you are in need of treatment for a mental illness that keeps you from being able to achieve gainful employment, there are mental health treatment facilities in St. Petersburg that can service you.
ST PETERSBURG BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE
433 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 823-4248
PERSONAL ENRICHMENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
400 15th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
(727) 552-1053
BOLEY CENTERS
647 34th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
(727) 824-5745
St. Petersburg Supplemental Benefits
If you qualify for social security disability benefits, you will automatically qualify for Medicaid in the state of Florida. The Federal Social Security Disability benefit for an independent individual is $943 and $1,415 for a couple. Contact the Region 4 Social Security Administration offices at 1-800-772-1213.
Your St. Petersburg Social Security Disability Claim
Filing a disability claim with the Social Security Administration is an extensive process. The average time it takes for a case to make its way completely through the system in St. Petersburg is 406 days. It is therefore a good idea to hire a St. Petersburg disability attorney who can help guide you more quickly through the process and improve your chances of winning your case. Many attorneys will only charge a fee if they win your case. If your attorney wins, he or she will collect a standard fee of 25% of your retroactive benefits up to a maximum amount of $6,000. If you are interested in obtaining an evaluation of your Social Security Disability case, click the "Free Disability Evaluation" link at the top of the page for your free case evaluation or to get more information about hiring a St. Petersburg disability attorney".
