WHY DISABILITY BENEFITS ARE SO HARD TO GET

People often ask, Why is it so hard to get disability benefits from Social Security?

It's because Social Security is cash strapped. There are not enough workers paying into the trust fund. And there's an increasing number of persons applying for benefits. The latest estimate shows the Social Security trust fund running dry by 2031.

This causes tremendous political pressure for Social Security to deny new claims--and to exact arduous proof before putting any new claimants on benefits.

Also, Social Security designed the disability process to take a long time and, frankly, to be "an ordeal." This discourages many people who give up rather than face the "ordeal."

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU NEED BENEFITS?

1. Go into the process with the right attitude. You probably will have to fight and persist, maybe for a year or more--and through a couple of denials before you get benefits.

2. Don't compare your case with anyone else's. I hear all the time, "My friend got benefits quickly, and she is healthier than I am." You can't figure why someone else got paid and somebody else didn't. This is a waste of time and sidetracks you from you goal of proving your claim.

3. Get legal assistance. Only about 34 percent of claimants without representation win their benefits; but, 60 percent who have lawyers win. The complicated system is not set up for claimants to represent themselves. Get help. Lawyers speak the language and know how to deal with the system.