Q: My wife is hospitalized currently and will require long-term care within a medical facility.
She is at an almost vegetative state. I am her POA for medical and wanted to see about SSD. She has filed in the past but was denied. With her current condition, can I apply for SSD for her via a lawyer?
A:
Yes, you can file for SSDI on your wife's behalf or you can hire a disability attorney to file the application for her.
The Social Security disability application is online at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/.
For Social Security, the law defines disability as the inability to do any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. Since your wife's condition is expected to last for quite some time, it would be best to file her disability application now.
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