Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery Disability Lawyers for SSDI and SSI
Downard & Associates represents adults in Montgomery, Alabama, with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applications and appeals. We work with clients by phone and video. Our work includes developing medical evidence, addressing denial reasons, and preparing for administrative hearings. Start with a list of your treatment sources and the work your condition affects. If you have already applied, identify the current stage and keep the full decision notice.
How we help
How We Prepare Montgomery Applications and Appeals
We do not take disability cessation or continuing disability review cases, or new cases involving back-pay issues alone.
Applications: We help prepare the SSDI application, gather medical evidence, and document work history. For SSI, we help complete the application and its financial disclosures.
Reconsideration: We review the reasons for denial, file the reconsideration request, and add evidence that addresses the issues in the determination.
Administrative hearings: We develop the medical record, prepare you to answer questions about your condition and limitations, and present the legal argument at the hearing.
Our service limits also address matters involving Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.
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.
Medical records
Choose the Scope of a Baptist Health Records Request in Montgomery
Baptist Health's authorization form offers complete-record and selected-record requests, with spaces for treatment dates and the facility name. If the record selection is left unmarked, the form defaults to an abstract. Choose the intended scope so you can compare the response with the care you identified.
The Baptist Health patient portal does not contain your entire medical record. Records available in the portal may be a useful starting point, but check them against your treatment dates and providers.
For a formal request, Baptist Health's medical-records instructions require the authorization and a copy of state- or federal-issued photo identification. Fees may apply. Follow the current submission instructions on that page.
Hospital and physician-practice records need separate attention. Baptist Health's privacy notice directs patients seeking physician-practice records to contact that specific practice. List those visits separately rather than assuming a hospital request covers them.
Benefit eligibility
SSDI and SSI Requirements for Montgomery Adults
Duration rule
12months
SSDI generally requires enough recent work in jobs covered by Social Security. The work credits you need depend on your age when disability began; younger workers may qualify with fewer credits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) explains this insured-work requirement in its disability eligibility guidance.
SSI does not require an insured work history. It requires limited income and resources, plus eligibility based on age 65 or older, statutory blindness, or a qualifying disability. Citizenship, residency, and other program requirements also apply. See SSA's SSI eligibility rules.
For SSDI and adult SSI claims based on disability, SSA evaluates whether a medically determinable condition prevents substantial gainful activity, or SGA. This generally means significant physical or mental work done for pay or profit. SSA considers past work it treats as relevant and adjustment to other work when the claim reaches those steps; the evaluation can end earlier.
Both the condition and the resulting inability to perform SGA must generally have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 consecutive months, unless the condition is expected to result in death within 12 months of when disability began. SSA's duration ruling explains both elements. You do not have to wait a year before applying if the expected duration meets the rule.
SSI based on statutory blindness follows different rules: SSA does not use SGA to determine initial eligibility, and statutory blindness has no duration requirement under SSI. Financial and other SSI requirements still apply. Age-based SSI eligibility does not require proving disability.
Our Alabama disability page provides the broader statewide context for an SSDI or SSI claim.
Get organized
Keep a Records and Work Log for Your Montgomery Claim
Use one entry for each treatment source. The log below helps you track what you requested and connect the medical information with the work your condition affects.
SSA's application preparation guidance lists treatment, test, medication, and work information to gather. It also says not to delay applying because documents are missing. Begin with what you have and identify where additional records can be obtained.
| Entry to make | Details to record |
|---|---|
| Treatment source | Record the hospital, clinic, or physician practice; contact information; patient number if known; and treatment dates. Keep hospital and practice visits separate. |
| Records requested | Note the facility, date range, and complete or selected records requested. For Baptist Health, check the selection rather than leaving the abstract default to decide the scope. |
| Response received | Track the request date, any confirmation, and what arrived. Compare the treatment period and record types with your request; mark gaps for follow-up. |
| Work affected | List recent jobs and duties, then describe specific limits on tasks such as lifting, sitting, standing, or concentrating. Note when your hours or duties changed. |
| SSI information | If SSI is involved, organize income and resource information along with the medical records. These are separate eligibility requirements. |
After a denial
Check the Next Step After a Montgomery Disability Denial
Deadline
60days
After an initial SSDI or SSI denial, you can generally request reconsideration. After an unfavorable reconsideration determination, you can generally request a hearing before an administrative law judge. A written request at either stage is generally due within 60 days after you receive the relevant notice. SSA's reconsideration rules for SSDI and SSI explain the receipt-based deadline, as do the SSDI and SSI hearing rules.
SSA generally presumes receipt five days after the date on the notice unless you show that you did not receive it within that period. Keep evidence of delayed delivery. The rule should not be treated as an unconditional 65-day deadline from the notice date.
If a reconsideration or hearing request is late, ask for more time in writing and explain the delay. SSA must find good cause; requesting an extension does not by itself secure one. Check the review stage and instructions in your decision before deciding what to file.
For broader SSA office details, see our hearing-office guide.
Common questions
Montgomery Disability Claim Questions
What happens if I leave the Baptist Health record selection blank?
Baptist Health's authorization form says an unmarked record selection defaults to an abstract. The form describes that abstract as including doctor notes and test results. If you need a different scope, select the intended records and treatment dates before submitting the request.
Where should I request records from a Baptist physician practice?
Baptist Health directs patients seeking physician-practice records to contact that specific practice. Include the practice and its treatment dates separately in your list, even if you also received hospital care.
What should I check when requested records arrive?
Compare the provider or facility, treatment dates, and record types with the request you made. Note missing visits or reports for follow-up. This is an organization step; receiving records does not establish that SSA's eligibility requirements are met.
Who evaluates the medical evidence for an initial Montgomery claim?
SSA checks nonmedical eligibility, while Alabama Disability Determination Services (DDS) develops medical evidence and makes the initial disability determination for SSA. DDS usually seeks evidence from your own medical sources first and may arrange a consultative examination if that evidence is unavailable or insufficient.
Discuss your claim
Discuss Your Montgomery Application or Appeal With Downard
Tell us whether you are preparing an application, seeking reconsideration, or getting ready for an administrative hearing. We can discuss the evidence and representation for that stage. Use our contact page to reach the team.