construction_injury

Morrison & Nicholson receives several calls each month from folks that had to quit work at some point due to their disability, however, they are now able to work as they did before and they want to know whether they are entitled benefits for the time they were disabled even though they have not yet applied for benefits.  The answer we give them is as most answers law related, maybe.

First, you must have been disabled as defined by the Social Security Administration, that is, you must not be able to do any kind of substantial gainful activity for a continuous period of at least one year, or have an impairment that may result in death.  If you were disabled for at least 1 year and then returned to work, the period that you were disabled is referred to as the “closed period” of disability.  Although, you can file and receive benefits for the closed period of disability the application is only retroactive for a period of 1 year from the application submission date.  For example, if you were disabled on March 2, 2007, returned to work in August 2008 and filed for benefits in March 2009, then you would only recieve benefits from the month that you were disabled from March 2008 – March 2009.