Brain injury, neck injury, back injury – what do they all have in common? The serious possibility that Los Angeles residents with such an injury will find themselves completely unable to work for an extended period of time.
Most of our readers know that if they are injured on the job they will almost certainly be able to receive workers compensation. This financial resource, which is in place throughout the country, helps millions of American workers every year. In fact, the Social Security Administration has estimated that in one year alone about 12.6 million received financial assistance through workers compensation.
But, what if your injury didn’t occur on the job? With no workers compensation to make up for your lost wages, how will you support yourself? The answer, for many people, is to apply for Social Security Disability benefits for injury.
The inability to work due to an injury can devastate a family’s finances. In addition to the time off of work, families usually have to cover medical expenses associated with the injury, including the potential costs for therapy, rehabilitation and maybe even long-term care. When facing this kind of financial uncertainty, it can be important to research every potential source of assistance. A person who has spent years in the workforce has most likely built up enough credits to receive some amount of SSD benefits – as long as their health condition is actually classified as a disability. Applying for SSD benefits – and being approved – can make the difference when a Los Angeles resident is facing the possibility of missing out on thousands of dollars a year due to lost wages from their disability.
Source: ssa.gov, “Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability Insurance, and the Offset: A Fact Sheet,” Accessed on Dec. 26, 2014
