Miami, Florida
Miami Disability Lawyers for SSDI and SSI
Downard & Associates represents adults in Miami, Florida, with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims. We help prepare applications, address denials at reconsideration, and prepare for administrative hearings. We work with clients by phone or video. Start by listing where you received treatment and how your condition has changed your ability to work. Those details give us a useful starting point for discussing your claim.
How we help
Working With Downard on a Miami Application or Appeal
Client meetings take place by phone or video; our firm has no Florida office.
For an application, we help gather medical evidence and document your work history. The goal is to describe both your treatment and the demands of the jobs your condition has affected.
At reconsideration, we address the reasons for denial and missing evidence. If your case reaches an administrative law judge hearing, we prepare you for questions, develop the medical record, and present the legal argument supporting your claim.
We serve adults age 18 and older. Our Florida disability representation page explains the broader statewide service. Client meetings take place by phone or video; our firm has no Florida office.
We handle SSDI cases for people who currently receive VA benefits, but we do not handle VA claims or appeals. We do not take disability cessation or continuing disability review cases, or new cases involving back-pay issues alone. We refer federal court appeals to a trusted affiliate rather than handling them in-house.
Benefit eligibility
The SSDI and SSI Rules Behind a Miami Claim
Duration rule
12months
SSDI generally requires enough recent work covered by Social Security. The work credits you need depend on your age when your disability began. The Social Security Administration (SSA) explains these requirements in its disability eligibility guidance.
SSI uses financial rules rather than SSDI insurance coverage. Adults may qualify based on disability, statutory blindness, or age 65 or older, provided they meet income, resource, and other eligibility requirements. Age-based SSI does not require a disability finding.
For SSDI and adult SSI claims based on disability, SSA considers whether a medically determinable condition prevents substantial gainful activity, or work involving significant physical or mental activities generally done for pay or profit. When the evaluation reaches those steps, SSA also considers your ability to do past work and adjust to other work. The condition must have lasted or be expected to last at least 12 consecutive months, or be expected to result in death. You do not have to wait a year before applying.
SSI based on statutory blindness has no duration requirement. SSA does not use substantial gainful activity to determine initial SSI eligibility based on statutory blindness. Financial and other SSI requirements still apply. Read SSA's SSI eligibility explanation for the separate categories.
Local medical records
Requesting UHealth and Jackson Records for a Miami Claim
Follow the patient request instructions; the page also has a separate process for attorney requests.
If you received care through the University of Miami Health System, its medical-records instructions direct patients to MyUHealthChart to view and download records. If you cannot use online access, UHealth provides a Request for Access to Health Information form for printed copies. Its page explains how to submit the signed form.
If you were treated at Jackson Health System, its medical-records page links to a patient online authorization form for copies of medical records, billing records, and radiology images or films. Follow the patient request instructions; the page also has a separate process for attorney requests.
Make a list of the records you need before submitting a request. Include treatment dates, providers, and relevant visits or tests. List care from other hospitals, clinics, and therapists separately so it can be compared with the records obtained. A hospital record is one part of the evidence; SSA also considers other medical and nonmedical information when evaluating a disability claim.
Get organized
Build a Treatment and Work File for Your Miami Claim
Use these five items to prepare for a conversation about your claim. Mark what you have and what still needs to be located.
Provider list: For each doctor, clinic, hospital, or therapist, record contact details, approximate treatment dates, and the condition treated. Include care outside Miami.
Records list: Note important visits, hospital stays, test reports, and treatment changes. Keep UHealth and Jackson requests separate if both systems treated you, and record what each request covers.
Medication list: Write down medication names and side effects you experience. Describe any effect on concentration, alertness, or other daily activities.
Work examples: Record job titles, dates, duties, and physical or mental demands. Describe tasks that became difficult, such as standing through a shift, lifting, or staying focused.
SSA correspondence: Save decisions and requests, note when you received them, and record the action requested. For an SSI claim, also organize information about income and resources.
SSA's disability application instructions explain the information to prepare. SSA says not to delay applying for SSDI because you do not have every document.
After a denial
What to Do After a Miami Disability Denial
Deadline
60days
After an initial SSDI or SSI denial, reconsideration generally must be requested in writing within 60 days after you receive the notice. After a reconsideration denial, an administrative law judge hearing request generally has the same receipt-based 60-day deadline. SSA ordinarily presumes receipt five days after the notice date unless you show that it arrived later.
If you miss either deadline, request an extension in writing and explain the delay. SSA must find good cause; an extension is not automatic. Read the applicable SSDI reconsideration rule or SSI reconsideration rule alongside your notice.
For initial disability applications forwarded to it, Florida's Division of Disability Determinations reviews medical eligibility. The claim returns to SSA for final nonmedical eligibility and any benefits due. Read the reason for the decision carefully: a medical issue calls for a different response from a question about insured work or SSI finances.
Our Social Security hearing-office guide is a separate resource for office details at the hearing stage.
Common questions
Questions About Starting or Continuing a Miami Claim
Can I start an SSDI application before my records arrive?
Yes. SSA says not to delay applying for SSDI because you lack documents. Provide the information you have, identify the providers and treatment dates, and follow up on requests for missing information. Waiting for a hospital records request to finish is not a requirement for starting an SSDI application.
Does a hospital diagnosis prove I qualify for disability?
A diagnosis alone does not establish that you meet SSA's disability rules. The evidence must support the applicable medical and work requirements. SSA considers treatment records and other evidence, including how your condition limits activities. Describe the tasks you have difficulty doing as well as the name of the condition.
What if I received treatment outside Miami?
Include those providers in your medical history. SSA asks for the doctors, hospitals, and clinics that treated you, with contact information and treatment dates. Organize those records alongside your Miami care rather than leaving them out because the treatment occurred elsewhere.
Do I need to travel to Tennessee to meet with Downard?
No. We work with Miami clients by phone or video, so those client meetings do not require travel to Tennessee. SSA hearing attendance is a separate matter governed by the instructions for your case.
Discuss your claim
Talk With Downard About Your Miami Disability Claim
Tell us whether you are preparing an application, responding to a denial, or preparing for a hearing. We can discuss your SSDI or SSI claim and the records needed for the next step.