Social Security Disability benefits can be a lifeline for you when you’re struggling with health problems, you’re unable to work, and you’re facing a financial emergency.
Benefits provide monthly checks and Medicare or Medicaid health care eligibility that can stabilize your life.
But you’re feeling overwhelmed and the process of applying for disability benefits just adds to your stress. Your head swims with questions.
In this video, Houston Social Security Disability attorney Victor Makris has answers to essential questions about Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Victor, founder of our firm—the original Makris Law Firm—has been helping people through this system for over 40 years
Watch the video, or continue reading below for the full video content.
And if you want to ask a question personally, Makris Law Firm is here for you.
Hear from Social Security Disability Lawyer Victor Makris
Hello, I’m Victor Makris, an attorney at Makris Law Firm. Welcome to this site, and welcome to this video presentation, which is about the most frequently asked questions with respect to SSD. I feel certain that after you listen to this presentation, you’ll have a lot of the information you seek, and it will be fast and informative.
And now, the first question:
What Are Social Security Benefits?
Social Security benefits are benefits that most people think that you get when you’re 65. However, the Social Security Act also includes situations when one becomes disabled. So if one becomes disabled before age 65, then they can apply for SS—they can apply for retirement, so to speak—on the basis of disability.
Do I Get Medicare With My Social Security Benefits?
What comes bottled together with that is Medicare, so if one becomes disabled and they’re approved for disability, then after a certain waiting time, Medicare is received.
What If I Didn’t Work Enough for Social Security Disability Benefits?
If one did not earn enough credits in order to earn Social Security Disability, or they’re not fully insured with the Social Security system because they were not able to work enough into the system, there’s also another program called SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which pays a lesser amount, but also becomes bundled with Medicaid.
So to sum it up, Social Security benefits are benefits you don’t have to wait until age 65 to apply for. If you’ve been hurt, if you’ve had an accident, or if you have a certain disease of life or other impairment that keeps you from working 40 hours a week, week after week, day after day, you can call our office so you can discuss your case.
How Do You Know It’s Time to Consider Filing for SSD Benefits?
You know when it’s time to file for Social Security Disability benefits…
- If you yourself feel that it is a struggle getting to work, finding work, and being able to not only get employment but also be able to keep that employment
- If your doctor is telling you that you need to file for disability
- If your family is saying that you need to really stay off work and take care of yourself
- If taking care of yourself and taking care of your medical condition has become a job in itself
…then it’s time to file for Social Security benefits.
What Kind of Proof Do You Need to Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits?
Disability must be medically proven, and that means through medical records. If you’ve been seeing a doctor, if you’ve been in the hospital, if you’ve had tests, things of that nature which shows your disability, then that is the sort of proof that you need to file with Social Security to prove your case.
What if Need Disability Benefits but Can’t Pay for a Doctor?
If you have had monetary issues where it’s not possible for you to go see a doctor, or if you’ve not had the tests that you need and have not had the medical attention or the finances to do that, then you can contact our office with respect to some alternatives to get the help that you need.
What Is The Best Way To File For Social Security Disability Benefits?
The best way to apply for SSD benefits is to contact our office. We make the process very easy for you with a phone call. We can either apply with you in person at our office or we can do so on the phone. We fill out all the papers that are necessary, fill out all the applications, all the documentations that are needed, and we obtain the documentation from the doctors and the hospital and other medical providers you’ve been going to see.
What Happens if I’m Denied Social Security Disability Benefits?
When appeals are needed, we’ll take care of those appeals. But by far the easier way to do it is to contact our office and we can make the process very streamlined and very easy.
What Are the Average Monthly Disability Benefits?
The average monthly SS benefit is between $900 to $1300. It can go as high as $2000 per month and over, depending on how much you paid into the system.
Medicare is also received after a certain period of waiting, which will come bundled together with Social Security after a period of time.
How Much Does a Social Security Disability Attorney Cost?
Attorney fees are set by law, and that is typically 25% of your “Back Pay.”
The “Front Pay” that you get in the future does not apply. It’s only 25% of the “Back Pay.”
Attorneys’ fees in disability cases are only paid if you win.
Why Hire a Local Disability Lawyer Instead of a Non-Attorney or Out-of-State Law Firm?
There is an advantage to hiring a local law firm because you have a certain interface or chemistry or a dynamic that is absent if you’re out of state. Even if there is a local office that the law firm may have, we have found that it’s just not the same. We enjoy talking to our clients in person, we enjoy the ability to be able to get documents and order records, and interface as much as we can with the client. It’s tough to do that if our office would be located out of state. So that’s one advantage to hiring somebody that is local.
The other reason is that we are attorneys. There are some non-attorney disability groups that also handle cases. I guess I could just basically say that if you had a choice between hiring an attorney or a non-attorney and the cost would be the same, the answer should be pretty obvious that you should hire an attorney according to my opinion.
You Could Have a Higher Chance of Winning with a Disability Attorney
The other reason is that when somebody does have representation, according to Social Security’s statistics, one has a higher chance of winning with representation than without.
What Does it Mean for a Lawyer to Be Board Certified?
In Texas, we have a board certification process for attorneys that can apply if they have a certain competency level, and if they have a certain education level, and experience level in different areas. One of those areas is Personal Injury. A subset of Personal Injury law is Disability Law, and I have board certification in that area, which only about 3% of Texas attorneys have.
Your Path to Getting SSD Benefits
Your path to receiving benefits starts with a call to our office. You’ll find our staff to be friendly, courteous, eager to answer your questions. And even if you decide not to file at this time, I think that it’ll be information that you can use to file at another time.
When you’re filing for SSD benefits, it’s like you’re crossing a bridge into another situation, another future. And we can, I feel, help you transition into that future in the best way possible. We can’t win every case, but I will say that I have a 35-year track record in practice, the law firm has been in existence for over 30 years. I grew up in this area and I’ve been a Texas attorney for a long time.
We would appreciate the opportunity to even talk with you, chat with you on a no-obligation basis, even if you decide not to file. If you decide to file, we’ll make the process as easy as possible for you. We’ve taken great pains to make the process of somebody who is already struggling already with a sitaution they may have, with their health and other issues, to make the process as easy as possible as part of our service.
Houston Social Security Attorneys Fighting Battles that People Can’t Fight Themselves
In closing, I’d like to say that I received a phone call from a client that we had helped a long time ago.
We had helped her get benefits and she had a question about something that had come up. She asked me how I was doing, and I asked her how she was doing and we had a chance to visit for a while. She told me something in the context of that conversation that was very powerful.
She said, “Victor, I called you because you and your firm fight battles for people that cannot fight those battles themselves.” And that’s something I hadn’t thought about before, but that was very profound to me, and I’ve thought of a lot since.
We appreciate the ability to speak with you, we look forward to speaking with you. Please, take the initiative to call our office today. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service.