It can be overwhelming and complex to file for disability benefits without quality legal guidance. If your injury makes it impossible for you to perform your tasks at work, you may be able to recover disability benefits.

Hiring a disability lawyer improves your chances of your claim being successful. At Pinder Plotkin, our Maryland disability lawyers fight aggressively to secure benefits for people with disabilities.

The Maryland injury lawyers at Pinder Plotkin are here to help. We are skilled attorneys with experience handling complex disability cases who’ll protect your rights every step of the way.

Short-term and Long-term Disability Benefits in Maryland

Short-term or long-term disability income benefits may be available for workers with illnesses or disabilities that prevent them from performing their duties. Our reliable attorneys can help you receive the benefits you are owed. Most workers typically get long-term disability insurance coverage through their employers’ group policies — regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Most disability insurance policies will pay disabled workers a certain percentage of their income if they are too sick to work or develop a disability preventing them from working. This payment may be short-term, covering you for up to six months, or long-term, protecting you if you are disabled for more than six months.

The short-term benefits usually help you immediately after an illness or incident, while the long-term benefits provide financial protection for disabilities that may last longer.

Disability insurance benefits usually vary, so reading and understanding your policy is important. Keeping your providers up-to-date on your disability status is typically a policy requirement.

Short-term Disability Benefits

You can only qualify for these benefits after meeting the definition of disability according to your policy and having a certified physician’s confirmation. Short-term disability benefits:

Replaces part of your income when you become disabled.
Pay benefits for shorter periods, typically three or six months.
Start within two weeks of a qualifying injury or illness.
Replace 40-70% of your income.

Long-term Disability Benefits

These benefits provide continuous monthly income for an extended period when you are out of work due to an injury or illness. Long-term disability benefits:

Kick in after at least six months if you meet your policy’s definition of disability
May work in tandem with short-term disability benefits
Pay benefits for more than a year, provided you still meet your policy’s definition of disability, while others may go up to a specific age or a defined period.
Typically covers 60 to 80% of lost wages
May sometimes only be awarded when you are incapable of performing any job
Providers may request reimbursement for benefits paid if you qualify for other forms of income replacement, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

If you are considering taking disability leave, it’s best to carefully review the insurance contract and seek experienced legal representation before filing any application. At Pinder Plotkin, our attorneys will help you understand your policy’s terms and maximize your chances of getting your disability claim approved.

Types of Disabilities

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has compiled a list of disabilities that qualify for benefits. Individuals whose disabilities are not listed may have a difficult time recovering benefits. So, enlisting the help of an experienced disability attorney is advisable if you need to receive benefits for a disability that is getting in the way of you performing your work responsibilities.

Disabilities can be categorized as physical or mental.

Physical Impairments

Here are some of the physical impairments listed by the SSA:

Respiratory disorders such as lung disease, asthma, chronic pulmonary hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Musculoskeletal disorders such as spine injuries, deformities, and amputations
Skin disorders such as dermatitis, burns, and genetic photosensitivity disorders
Cardiovascular disorders such as chronic heart failure
Digestive system disorders such as hepatic dysfunction, short bowel syndrome, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and malnutrition

Mental Impairments

Most mentally impaired people do not know they can file for disability benefits. Some who apply for these benefits usually get their claims denied. The denial is often because their documentation is unclear enough for the SSA.

The skilled and dedicated Maryland disability lawyers at Pinder Plotkin are committed to representing individuals suffering from different mental impairments, including obsessive-compulsive disorders, autism spectrum disorders, psychotic disorders, and neurocognitive disorders. While disability cases can be complex, our attorneys have the resources and experience to get favorable outcomes for our clients.

Disability Retirement Benefits

The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRA) offers eligible employees continued health insurance coverage — when a serious illness or injury permanently prevents them from performing their duties at work — and a disability retirement annuity. Our disability lawyers represent employees through all stages of the disability application process, even appeals.

Some of the disability benefits we can help you file for include:

Ordinary disability retirement benefits
Special disability retirement benefits
Accidental disability retirement benefits
Non-service-connected and service-connected disability retirement benefits

How an Attorney Can Help With Your Maryland Disability Claim

Are you too young to retire but too sick to work? We can help you. If you cannot work because of a disability or illness, our disability lawyers in Maryland can help you win your case and receive the necessary benefits.

Pinder Plotkin will provide the legal guidance you need to file a disability claim. Our attorneys can also help with your claim in the following ways:

Ensuring that all your disabilities are documented and the forms filled out correctly.
Helping you retrieve the necessary medical records.
Assisting you with appeals.

If you file your disability claim and it gets denied, our qualified attorneys can help you through the different stages of filing an appeal. Remember, there is no cost for us to pursue your claim because we operate on a contingency fee basis.