Lawyer for SSDI

Ditzydori · ‎03-10-2010

My brother in law is now staying with us. He's quite ill. He's Widowe and lived alone, about 3 hours away from us. He had an excellent job as a chef in an upscale hotel/restaurant and has worked all his life. Very independent, strong and proud man.

he became ill December 2023. We knew nothing. Then again April 2024. We knew and his daughter took care of him. Now in February he got a pacemaker put in and was told he needs a heart transplant. Never said a word. We tried to call him but could never get in touch with him.

lo and behold he contacted us last week. He lost everything. His car and got evicted from his upscale apartment. Has nada. Zilch. Hasn't worked since February and never said a word.

I told my hubby now the problem is full blown. He should have contacted us back in February but his brother told us he never asked for anything in his life and found it hard to do so now until he lost everything.

this is my question. Who's the best ssdi attorney group? Binder and binder doesn't get good reviews. I was thinking allsup, maybe. I don't know. Any suggestions?

He needs SSDI. and health insurance. He can get cobra from his job at 700+ dollars a month which we and hubbys siblings are willing to pay. But I was thinking of the marketplace. Is thst still a thing?

what a mess. He needs to see a doctor soon. I want to help and do what's best. My brother in law is 60 years old. Not yet eligible for Medicare. Help?

on the bay · ‎03-09-2010

@Ditzydori,

That is so sad. But I bet he is not the only ill senior who has worked so hard and well all their lives who now have an awful financial situation.

He sounds like he should be eligable for SSDI and medicaid.

Many people are on that.

I really feel for you and your brother and family. I'm glad he has you all.

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"

Q-Checker · ‎05-09-2010

I am so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law's situation. I recommend that you first consult a Social Worker at an agency which serves seniors. I do not know your locality, but I am guessing that free consultations are available from an appropriate agency. Given the cost of legal advice, unless you can get it without charge, I would start with a Social Worker who is aware of all of the benefits to which he is entitled and how to access them. And warm thank you to you and your family for caring for him!

pdlinda · ‎10-23-2011

@Ditzydori Please consider contacting Dr. OZ at HHS. He heads the Medicare/Medicaid agency at HHS. They will help you with process and procedures.

His State representative and State Senators should also be able to help get you connected to resources.

You will probably need a case manager/advocate. HHS should be able to provide a list of people who do this work.

Essential to the process is gathering all his medical records. Whomever is going to help you get services for him will need those records.

Best of luck!

50Mickey · ‎05-21-2010

You do not need a lawyer to apply for SSI disability. It is handled through the Social Security Administration. There are income and resource limits for this program. Also he will have to be determined to be disabled and unable to work. If he worked all of his adult life he is probably eligible for Social Security Disability. Make an appointment with the SSA office where you live ASAP. These things take time.

If the situation is what you say it is you do not need a lawyer for this.

DSD2 · ‎01-09-2016

How fortunate your brother in law has you, your husband and other siblings to help him. So many are alone and have no one.

Life can turn precarious quickly. It's frightening that everything you work for your entire life for can be gone in an instant.

Fortunately, there are agencies that can help. I would start with Social Security and go from there.

I will pray for your BIL, you and your family.

Tissyanne · ‎12-07-2012

@Ditzydori wrote:
My brother in law is now staying with us. He's quite ill. He's Widowe and lived alone, about 3 hours away from us. He had an excellent job as a chef in an upscale hotel/restaurant and has worked all his life. Very independent, strong and proud man.

he became ill December 2023. We knew nothing. Then again April 2024. We knew and his daughter took care of him. Now in February he got a pacemaker put in and was told he needs a heart transplant. Never said a word. We tried to call him but could never get in touch with him.

lo and behold he contacted us last week. He lost everything. His car and got evicted from his upscale apartment. Has nada. Zilch. Hasn't worked since February and never said a word.

I told my hubby now the problem is full blown. He should have contacted us back in February but his brother told us he never asked for anything in his life and found it hard to do so now until he lost everything.

this is my question. Who's the best ssdi attorney group? Binder and binder doesn't get good reviews. I was thinking allsup, maybe. I don't know. Any suggestions?

He needs SSDI. and health insurance. He can get cobra from his job at 700+ dollars a month which we and hubbys siblings are willing to pay. But I was thinking of the marketplace. Is thst still a thing?

what a mess. He needs to see a doctor soon. I want to help and do what's best. My brother in law is 60 years old. Not yet eligible for Medicare. Help?

@Ditzydori , I would recommend Allsup. Also, he would become eligible for Medicare 24 months after his first SSDI check. His age doesn't matter in this instance.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

My husband got Social Security disability insurance when he was 61 without an attorney. He was very ill with a rare autoimmune illness. He could no longer work and his symptoms resembled a stroke victim.

We were told by someone that we knew who worked at Social Security that he had a good chance of receiving it because in addition to being very ill he was close to the official early retirement age for collecting SS.

We had to fill out a lot of forms, go to SS in person for an interview and we brought all of his medical records. Then he had to go see one of their doctors who gave him an exam (which was really a joke since they seemed to be looking for symptoms that had noting to do with his health issues).

He applied early in the spring and after a few months received a letter letting us know that he was approved. He started to collect in Sept.

However once you collect SS disability it takes another two years (!!) to start Medicare which didn't make any sense to me. After all, you usually have some kind of health issue to begin collecting disability.

This all happened in 2014. Perhaps things have changed a bit since then. Keep in mind that though Social Security is a national program it is administered on the state level.

Good luck to your brother in law. I hope he is approved quickly and can get the proper health care that he needs.

on the bay · ‎03-09-2010

@Ditzydori,

Medicaid is health coverage for people with limited "income" or none.

It covers some things that medicare does not.

You apply for it. Visit medicaid.gov.

And also as others have said visit or call or go online to ssa.gov to see how to apply for SSDI (Social Security Disability INcome).

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"