What is Disability Benefits Counseling?

Disability benefits counseling is for anyone who wants to take time off from work for health reasons.

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People take time off for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is depression and anxiety. Other times, an accident, a chronic illness, or a sudden change of health.

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In all of these situations, people may use disability insurances to replace lost wages. Disability benefits counseling helps people understand whether they should apply for disability, which types of benefits to apply for, when to apply, their benefit amounts and limitations, etc. For example, some clients only need CA SDI, while others may want both CA SDI and Employer-sponsored Short-Term Disability Insurance (STDI). Others should prepare to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Employer-sponsored Long-Term disability insurance (LTDI).  

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Disability benefits counseling also helps people understand their rights to job and health insurance, whether they want to return to the same job after taking time off, switch to another job, or go on long-term disability. After counseling, the client should feel confident on how to plan and secure their financial future.

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But disability benefits counseling is much more than planning. Sometimes, it is about saving the client from making common but grave mistakes on their disability claims. Sometimes, it is about showing the client how to communicate effectively to their doctor so that the doctor will understand and support their disability claims. Still other times, it is about encouraging and cheerleading the client during a dark time in their life. The client should feel secured and comforted, knowing that they have a disability benefit expert on their side.