North Dakota Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability Insurance is a type of government benefit that helps disabled individuals who are unable to work due to their disability. SSDI is specifically for individuals whose disability will last more than 12 months, or will eventually end in death.

Whether a North Dakota resident has a developmental disability like autism or a rapidly moving cancer, SSDI benefits are available to cover the living expenses they may have difficulty paying if it’s difficult to retain gainful employment.

North Dakota Facts

Approximately 24% of the adults in North Dakota have a disability, which is slightly less than the 25% national average. Mobility, cognition, and hearing are the most frequent disability types, followed by independent living, hearing, and self care.

Programs like SSDI that help disabled North Dakota residents defray costs for housing, food, transportation, and medical expenses. SSDI recipients become eligible for Medicare after two years.

How To Qualify for SSDI in North Dakota

To get SSDI in the Flickertail State, you must show the Social Security Administration that you are medically and non-medically eligible.

Medical eligibility encompasses proof that you have an SSA-approved disability, shown through documentation such as medical records, hospital bills, and notarized letters from employers.

Even if you don’t have a specific disability according to the SSA Blue Book, you can show that you have a low Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) due to conditions such as chronic back pain. An SSDI lawyer can help you package your SSDI application in such a way that it is more likely to get approved, by helping you compile the requisite evidence of your disability.

Non-medical eligibility means you have paid up enough Social Security taxes throughout your working career to qualify for SSDI. An SSDI application usually needs 40 SSDI work credits, each one of which is earned by earning a certain amount of income through employment or self-employment.

As of 2021, $1,470 in wages merits one work credit. Usually half of your work credits will need to come from the past decade.

A Social Security Disability application takes several months to process. If a disability claim is denied, that will take additional time. However, if you have a medical condition among the SSA list of Compassionate Allowances (such as fast-moving cancers or degenerative diseases), your SSDI application will be fast-tracked for quicker approval. For those who do not have their application fast-tracked, SSDI back pay can award up to 12 months of benefit payments once your application is approved.

Even once you are approved to collect SSDI benefits, you will need to undergo a period review, a Continuing Disability Review, every three years. If the SSA believes your medical condition or mental health condition will not improve, they will conduct a CDR every seven years.

How To Apply for SSDI in North Dakota

The easiest way to apply for SSDI in the Roughrider State is to visit the Social Security Administration website and apply online. You can also call 1-800-492-4283, or walk into any one of the seven SSA field offices located in Bismarck, Fargo, Minot, Jamestown, Grand Forks, Devils Lake, and Williston.

North Dakota Veterans should also explore the VA benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A resident Veteran can collect Social Security Disability Benefits and a monthly VA benefit concurrently, but disabled veterans will likely find that their VA benefits impact the amount of SSDI they can receive.

How To Appeal a Denial in North Dakota

58% of all initial SSDI applications are not approved in North Dakota, which is better than the national average of 70%. However, if your Social Security Disability claim is not approved, you can request a reconsideration and furnish more evidence to the SSDI disability examiner at the Disability Determination Services.

If your application is still denied, you can request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. If that does not go your way, you can request a hearing by the Appeals Council, who may return your case to a different ALJ for a second review after the disability hearing.

Your final option is to take your case to a district court in the federal court system, although most cases don’t end up going there.

Working with an SSDI attorney can help if your application goes into disability adjudication. An SSDI attorney can help you package your application so that it has a better chance of getting approved initially. A disability lawyer is more affordable than you might think because the maximum amount they can charge is either $6,000 or up to 25% of your awarded back pay (whichever amount is lower).

More North Dakota Benefits

SSI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is available to low-income North Dakota residents who are blind, disabled, or over the age of 65. Eligible recipients must have limited financial resources – currently no more than $2,000 per person or $3,000 per couple.

Many people are unaware that you can collect SSI and SSDI at the same time. This is beneficial because SSI typically provides automatic access to Medicaid. SSDI recipients are eligible for Medicare after two years, but they can use Medicaid in the meantime if they also qualify for SSI.

North Dakota Medicaid

North Dakota Medicaid is a helpful healthcare solution for low-income individuals living in North Dakota. Expanded Medicaid is available for individuals who do not have dependents, are not pregnant, and who are not disabled, blind, or over the age of 65.

North Dakota Unemployment

The North Dakota Job Service can help individuals out of work through no fault of their own by providing a weekly payment. North Dakota Unemployment benefits usually require the recipient to show they are actively looking for work.

If an individual becomes unemployed through an injury, they should explore other options such as workers’ compensation insurance. There are different forms of workers’ compensation, short-term and long-term, for defraying the cost of living expenses and things like vocational rehabilitation.

North Dakota Social Security Offices

North Dakota Hearing and Appeal Offices

North Dakota is in Region 8 (Denver), which services Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. 

The Fargo Hearing Office services the following cities in North Dakota, Iowa, and Montana: Bismarck ND, Devils Lake ND, Dickinson ND, Fargo ND, Grafton ND, Grand Forks ND, Grafton ND, Jamestown ND, Minot ND, Cherokee IA, Spencer IA, Alexandria MT, Bemidji MT, Brainerd MT, Fergus Falls MT, and Marshall MT.