Increasing Social Security Benefits for Maria

Prairie State Legal Services successfully increases Social Security benefits for Maria*

Maria* was in her mid-40s when she came to Prairie State, but she had been struggling with disabilities, such as schizophrenia, since her mid-20s. She was receiving Social Security disability benefits due to those disabilities. Maria should have received additional dependent benefits based on her father’s work history because her disability started before she turned 22. Nevertheless, the Social Security Administration denied her request for these additional benefits. In an administrative hearing, Prairie State lawyers had to prove that Maria was disabled before she turned 22 and that her limited work history did not disqualify her from getting dependent benefits from her father’s account. Prairie State presented evidence and convinced the judge, so Maria qualified for dependent benefits.

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of our clients and maintain confidentiality.