Explaining the Duration Requirement

By January 1, 2015 English Blogs

Explaining the Duration Requirement

Your Lawrence Social Security disability attorney will advise you that your impairment must meet a duration requirement to qualify for disability benefits.  Unless death is the expected result of your impairment, your impairment must have already lasted or be expected to lasta continuous twelve months.

Lawrence Social Security disability attorney

Impairments that come and go or have short intervals of remission, but still have periods that are disabling enough to prevent sustained participation in substantial gainful activity, can still meet the duration requirement.  However, attempting to piece together unrelated serious impairments in order to meet the duration requirement is specifically prohibited by the regulations.

If a duration denial is made, it typically occurs because of two factors: the duration requirement was not met at the time the decision was made, and the impairment is one that more than likely will improve before twelve months has gone by.

In cases where an impairment may or may not improve during the twelve month duration, your Lawrence Social Security disability attorney may be able to persuade the decision maker to stall your case until it becomes clear whether your disabled state will persist for the full twelve months. However, due to the sluggish Social Security administrative process, the twelve months have usually already passed before your hearing is held.This typically allows an accurate duration assessment to be made at the time of the hearing.

If you have questions about your disability claim and would like to visit with a competent and experienced Lawrence Social Security disability attorney, please contact Gerard A. Palma by calling 888-295-4955.

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