Archives for March 2022

Is There an Age Limit for Long-Term Disability?

March 20, 2022 by

People wonder is there an age limit for long-term disability? Long-term disability is an insurance policy designed to replace your income so that you can pay your living expenses while you’re unable to work. Generally, the payments are about 60% of your income. They provide cash directly to you to pay your bills as you would if you were still working. You may also use it to cover new occupational training or other assistance you may need if you believe you will return to work later.

Is There an Age Limit for Long Term Disability?

This means that you can avoid burning through your savings for your retirement, your children’s education funds, or other future goals.

But is there an age limit for long-term disability? Will it last year, two years, or longer, or will you age out of your policy? There are several factors involved in any LTD policy, including an age limit.

How It Works

Most people have a long-term disability policy through their employer. Others, such as self-employed individuals, may purchase a policy on their own. In many cases, they are accompanied by short-term disability policies. Generally, when the short-term disability policy ends, usually within three to six months, or as long as twelve months, the long-term disability policy begins.

Long-term disability policies usually have a six-month waiting period before payments begin. This is because most people have a short-term disability policy already in place. Long-term disability policies are written to accommodate short-term policies.

Once the waiting period is over, your long-term disability benefits should begin. The benefits are supposed to be paid for as long as you are disabled. Of course, the length of your benefits will also depend on the type of disability you have, how long it’s expected to last, and how disabled you are. A policy that’s written so that you could perform any type of work is different from one that only pays when you are unable to work in your own occupation.

For someone who has a much longer disability, that either keeps them out long term or prevents them from returning to work permanently, the long-term disability policy generally pays for the rest of your disability.

The End Of The Policy

For the person who is disabled for the rest of their working life, a long-term disability policy will continue to pay until the individual is eligible for retirement. Once the individual reaches the point at which they would normally retire, the policy will end, and the status changes to “retired.” The now-former policyholder then begins receiving Social Security and other retirement funds. This can include a pension, a 401K, or other retirement supplements.

However, the age limit for the long-term disability policy will also depend on the policy itself. Some policies end at age 65 or 67 when most people are expected to retire. However, it is possible to purchase a long-term disability policy with an age limit of 70.

Some policies may change their benefit payment schedule if you are disabled after the age of 62. Benefits may be reduced, or given a limited number of months until you are eligible to retire. You can also voluntarily retire before you reach the end of your long-term disability benefits.

Other policies will indicate the number of months for which benefits are payable if you become disabled at or after the age of 65, such as 18 months. Again, this all depends on the individual policy. It’s important to review your policy to see if the insurer will consider your age when determining if you meet their definition of “disability.”

Your age may impact your ability to learn a new occupation or skills, especially if you have only worked in one field for most of your professional career. This may limit the alternative occupations that you may be able to perform after becoming disabled.

Your Houston LTD Disability Attorney

If you’re facing an absence from work due to a long-term disability but are having trouble with the insurer paying your benefits, we’re here to help. We can help with all facets including questions about  the age limit for long-term disability.

We’ve helped over 4,000 Houstonians have received the LTD benefits they need. The Herren Law Firm can help you with your application, appeals and help you through the process, and give you one less thing to worry about. Contact us today at 713-682-8194 (or use our online contact form) to schedule your free consultation. There’s no obligation and no up-front fees. We only collect if we win your case.

Filed Under: Long Term Disability Tagged With: , ,

Am I Able To Get Veteran Disability Back Pay?

March 16, 2022 by

Can you get veteran disability back pay? Because the VA is notorious for taking a long time to award disability benefits to veterans, you’ll be happy to know that there is a silver lining. And the longer you must wait, the better your chances of getting back pay.

Am I Able To Get Veteran Disability Back Pay?

Veterans who apply and have trouble getting their benefits may wait months and even years before receiving their monthly VA disability payments. This can lead to a one-time lump sum.

What Is Veterans Disability Back Pay?

There is usually a substantial wait between the time veteran applies for disability benefits and the time they begin to receive these benefits. Therefore, the VA generally pays benefits in full that the veteran is due. This can lead to a substantial payment to make up for the months (or years) waiting for the payments to begin.

Commonly called “back pay,” it’s the difference between the effective date and the date of the benefit award. This means that you may receive a lump sum that’s the total amount of money you would have received monthly if you’d been awarded benefits from your effective date.

Defining The Effective Date

The VA pays benefits from what it calls your “effective date,” which is the latter of two dates. These are the date of your application or the date that your service-connected disability either shows up or increases in severity.

For example: If you apply for VA disability benefits on May 1st, and your benefits are approved on December 1, your monthly benefit payments may not start until the following May. This means that you would receive a lump sum equal to the amount you would have been paid from your application date, which was the original May 1st when you applied. This original May 1st is the effective date.

For most claims, the date of your application is the effective date. However, the second date is usually when a veteran decides to file for the first time or to request an increase in their ratings. That’s why the second effective date would not be the original date of the claim filing.

Sometimes, an earlier effective date may be used. These would be for recently discharged veterans, claims for increased ratings, or Agent Orange exposure claims. The reason for that is because Agent Orange exposure is known as a presumptive service-connected condition.

The VA begins the claims process once the effective date is established for the veteran.

How Much Will I Receive?

As with any legal case, it’s impossible to give an exact dollar amount for a veteran’s disability back pay. Every veteran’s case is different, their benefit amounts are different, and they’re based on each individual’s disability rating.

The eventual back pay award will be based on:

• The amount that the veteran will receive monthly once benefits are awarded
• The number of months and/or years that the veteran has been waiting since his or her effective date.
• The differences in the benefit amount for the months or years that the veteran has been waiting, taking into account factors like cost-of-living adjustments.
• Any other special considerations, such as additional monies for aid & attendance, or other allowances.
The longer you have been waiting, the larger your possible back pay will be. As always, veterans’ benefits are tax-free. This includes anything you receive as back pay.

Appeal If You’ve Been Denied

For a handful of reasons, many VA claims are denied at the outset. If this has happened to you, don’t re-apply for VA benefits—file an appeal instead.

If you submit another application, your effective date will change. This means you could lose hundreds and even thousands of dollars in back pay. Using the above example, if your claim is denied in December, and you reapply at that time, your new effective date will be December 1st, not the original May 1st. You will in this example lose six months of potential back pay, if not more.

After a successful review or an appeal, you may also receive back pay.

It’s important to note that all applications for VA disability benefits must be made in writing. If you have had discussions with an attorney, a veterans service officer (VSO), or a VA representative about filing a claim, don’t assume that it has been done for you.

The VA has considerable discrepancies in notifying veterans about the possibility of having a claim. Therefore, it’s up to you to begin the process. The effective date of your award is always on the date of your written claim, and not before. Working with a disability law attorney can make the process easier and make sure that your application is done correctly the first time and that any appeals are handled well.

Herren Law Helps Houston Veterans

Getting veteran’s disability back pay and benefits is a long, arduous process that takes patience as well as understanding the law. William Herren is a disability attorney who has helped more than 4,000 Houstonians get the benefits they deserve, including veterans. Call The Herren Law Firm today at 713-682-8194 (or use our online contact form) to schedule your free consultation. There’s no obligation, and we’ll take your case on a contingency fee basis, with no up-front charges. You don’t owe a fee until we win your case.

Filed Under: Veterans Disability Tagged With: , ,

Is A Mental Health Disorder Eligible For Disability?

March 7, 2022 by

Most people think that disability is strictly for individuals who are physically disabled. But a mental health disorder can be equally disabling, especially if not properly treated. If you have a mental health disorder that prevents you from working or inhibits your everyday functioning, you may also be eligible for disability payments.

Is A Mental Health Disorder Eligible For Disability?

Adults who are living with a mental health disorder may not have the funds to take care of themselves or to be able to seek treatment. Millions of people with disabilities are unable to get proper treatment because they do not have the means to obtain care. But it’s vital to get a diagnosis before pursuing a claim for disability.

The Blue Book

Social Security has an organized listed list of impairments, commonly called the “Blue Book.” Mental disorders are contained in Section 12 and are arranged into 11 categories. These are the impairments that are serious enough to prevent a person from working. It also lists the medical requirements that determine if a person can receive benefits for a disability.

Conditions in the Blue Book already meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability. However, children who are applying for SSI will not be based on an occupation, but whether a condition will cause “marked and severe functional limitations”

Just being diagnosed with an illicit condition does not automatically qualify you for disability benefits. The Blue Book details the symptoms, test results, and other data that show that your condition is serious enough to be actually disabling according to SSA guidelines. It also lists the records you need to prove to the SSA that you are disabled.

Social Security Requirements for a Mental Health Disorder

Social Security’s requirements for mental disorders are much the same as physical disorders. It must be a condition that will keep you disabled and unable to work for at least 12 months.

To show that you are disabled, you will also need medical evidence that documents your disability and shows how it prevents you from working and disrupts your everyday life. This will include things such as psychiatrist’s notes, lists of medications, treatment records, any associated diagnostics, and documented impacts of your symptoms on your “activities of daily living,” or ADL.

You must have these documents available and in order before attempting to file your claim application. While SSDI can be done online, SSI requires an in-person interview and cannot be completed online.

There are two disability programs available:

• For Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, you will need to have previously worked and paid into the Social Security system for five of the last ten years. Monthly benefits are based on your lifetime earnings, known as your “average indexed monthly earnings,” or AIME. You will qualify for Medicaid after 24 months.

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is designed for those who have not paid into Social Security in the last ten years or have never worked. Both adults and children can qualify for SSI. If you qualify for SSI, you also qualify for Medicaid benefits.

If you are unable to work but don’t meet the bluebook’s criteria to qualify on a medical basis, you can still be approved with a medical-vocational allowance. It will take your age, work history, educational background, transferable skills, and medical condition into consideration. Your physician can fill out a residual functional capacity form, or RFC, to add to your disability claim.

The RFC will indicate if you have difficulty focusing, cannot work with others, have difficulties with communications, are unable to complete a task, etc. It lists these indicators and symptoms so that the examiner can understand whether or not you can work, and what type of work you are able to do. Including an RFC from your psychiatrist or psychologist can be key to approval for your claim.

Get Help With A Mental Health Disability Application From Herren Law

Having a mental health disorder can prevent you from working and impact your daily life. We also understand how important it is for you to receive your benefits in a timely fashion. Herren Law has helped over 4000 Houstonians receive the disability benefits they need.

When you call us, we’ll immediately begin going through your records, working with you one-on-one, and representing you during your hearings. The first step in getting an experienced SSD attorney on your side is to contact our Houston law office at (713) 682-8194. We offer free, no-obligation consultations, and there is no fee unless we win your case.

Filed Under: Long Term Disability, mental health disability Tagged With: , ,
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