Atticus offers free, high-quality disability advice for Americans who can't work. Our team of Stanford and Harvard trained lawyers has a combined 15+ years of legal experience, and have helped over 10,000 Americans apply for disability benefits.
Millions of people across the U.S. receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) if they have a health condition that’s left them unable to work. Alaska residents make up a small portion of that large number, with just over 13,000 people receiving benefits in the state.
While SSA disability benefits are a vital source of income, they’re not always easy to get. That’s why we’ve created this guide. It’s full of helpful information about applying for, qualifying for, and receiving disability benefits in Alaska.
Alaska isn’t one of the five states with its own disability program, but there are private and federal programs residents may be eligible to apply for:
The rest of the guide will focus on SSI and SSDI because they’re the benefits that Alaska residents are most likely to qualify for.
Qualifying for SSDI and SSI means meeting specific medical and technical criteria. The medical requirements are the same for each program, but the technical requirements differ.
SSI and SSDI require applicants to have a health condition that makes working for at least a year impossible. To prove your condition meets the criteria, you must provide medical evidence of your diagnosis, treatments you’ve received, and the condition’s impact on your ability to work or care for yourself.
Certain chronic, severe, or life-threatening conditions can automatically qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
Qualifying for disability is easier for older applicants. People over 50 must show they can’t continue doing the kinds of work they have done in the past. Applicants under age 50 have to prove they can’t do any type of work — even with retraining.
There are two criteria for SSDI applicants:
Learn more about the technical SSDI qualifications.
SSI applicants must meet two income and asset criteria:
For more information, see our guide to the technical SSI qualifications.
There are hundreds of different conditions that can qualify for disability benefits if they will leave you completely unable to work for one year or more. However, some conditions are more common.
Based on the number of people in Alaska with disability benefits, here are the most common qualifying disabilities:
Of the 40.8% of disability recipients with mental health conditions, the most common are:
Related: How Hard is it to get disability for mental health?
To apply for Social Security disability benefits, the first step is to fill out the main SSDI and SSI application form. You’ll also need to describe your previous work history in the work history report and how your condition impacts your daily activities in the function report. The SSA may also request other forms to help it make a decision.
Completing these forms takes time and it can be confusing, but working with a disability lawyer makes it more accessible. They can help you with questions or even complete the forms on your behalf, making your experience much less stressful.
The process is also the same if you’re applying for disability on behalf of a loved one or trying to get disability benefits for your child.
Start your application as soon as possible and set aside a couple of hours to give yourself enough time to fully answer all application questions. Working with a disability lawyer will help, but there are some steps you should follow.
For more help getting started, here’s our step-by-step guide to the disability application.
There are three ways to file your SSI or SSDI application:
If you aren’t working with a lawyer, filling out the application in-person, at an SSA office is beneficial since the staff can assist you in answering questions correctly. It’s worth noting that the SSA staff can’t offer specific advice, such as information you should include or exclude to improve your answers. That would qualify as legal advice, which only a lawyer can offer.
Further reading: What Disability Lawyer Actually Do for You
We recommend finding a disability lawyer when applying for disability benefits. With their guidance, you can submit the strongest application possible and avoid common mistakes — making your life a lot less stressful. A good lawyer can help you with appeals and represent you in a hearing with a judge, which most applicants must do to receive benefits.
A good disability lawyer also won’t charge any up-front fees and you won’t have to pay them at all unless you win benefits. For more advice on your application and to get matched with an experienced lawyer, fill out our 2-minute disability quiz.
Once you apply for disability benefits, the SSA will check to see if you meet the medical and technical requirements. The SSA handles the technical rules and the Disability Determination Services (DDS) in your state looks at your medical records to see if you medically qualify. The SSA may ask to talk to you over the phone and DDS might also need a medical consultative exam with one of its doctors.
As of the start of 2023, the average wait time to get a decision on your SSDI or SSI application is about six months.
It’s important to know going in that most SSDI and SSI applicants need to go through multiple rounds of denial and appeal before receiving benefits.
About 70% of people are denied the first time they apply. You can appeal through a process called reconsideration. The chances of winning your reconsideration aren’t great, with 90% of applicants getting denied. At this point you can appeal for a disability hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). A hearing offers the best chance of success. In 2022, about 54% of people won their hearing and got benefits. People with lawyers have an even better chance of winning at this stage — three times better.
Learn more about your chance of winning a disability appeal.
The average disability applicant waits about 27.5 months (just over two years) from the time they submit their application until they win benefits. The long wait is because of the multiple appeals most claims must go through.
Here are the average wait times at each stage:
Your wait for a hearing will also vary depending on which hearing office handles your claim. There are hearing offices in Alaska that currently hear cases, but luckily you don’t need to attend a hearing in person.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to make the process go faster. However, you can help avoid further delays by responding to any SSA requests immediately. A lawyer can also help you stay on top of your appeals.
The good news is that when you finally get approved, your first check will include months or years of back pay, which covers the time you spent waiting for benefits.
Related: How to Find a Good Disability Lawyer Near You
Every person receives a different amount for their monthly benefits, and how much you get depends on which program you qualify for. For SSDI, the SSA considers your work and tax history. For SSI, your monthly income affects your monthly payment amount. (It is possible to receive both at the same time.)
People in Alaska get, on average, $1,333.89 each month from SSDI benefits. The most you can get in 2023 is $3,627 monthly.
The amount you get depends on your income history and how much you’ve paid into the Social Security program. It doesn’t matter where you live in Alaska; The SSA doesn’t look at geographic location to calculate your monthly SSDI benefits.
Here’s how to check your monthly SSDI check amount:
The average SSI payment for Alaska residents is $613.36 per month. That’s less than the maximum payment you can get, which is $914 each month in 2023.
The SSA finds you payment by subtracting your current monthly income from the maximum possible benefits of $914. If you don’t have any income, you’ll get the maximum payment.
Learn more about what counts as income for SSI.
A good disability lawyer can make the whole SSDI and SSI process more manageable. They can talk to the SSA for you, handle appeals, and respond to requests for more documents. If you have to go to a hearing, they can represent you before the judge — applicants with lawyers are three times more likely to win their hearing.
Here are four pieces of advice when you’re picking a disability lawyer:
Finding the right disability lawyer is difficult but at Atticus, we’ve done the research to find lawyers who will treat you with the attention and respect you deserve. Take our free disability benefits quiz to get matched with a lawyer who will work hard for you. If you decide to work with one of our lawyers, you’ll never have to pay anything unless you win your case.
To be eligible for disability benefits, you must have a health condition that stops you from being able to work for at least one year. Additionally, you have to meet specific requirements for your work history (for SSDI) or have an income below a certain level (for SSI). For more on these requirements, read our full write up here.
Some of the most common conditions that qualify for disability benefits are mental disorders, nervous system diseases, circulatory system diseases, and musculoskeletal disorder. See our full list of conditions that qualify here.
On average, it takes an average of 6.1 months to get an initial disability decision in Alaska and across the nation. While most applicants are denied at the first stage, that decision can be appealed through reconsideration and a hearing — which takes around two years, on average. Read more: How Long It Takes to Get Approved for Disability Benefits
The average SSDI payment in Alaska is $1,333.89 per month. The average SSI payment is $613.36 per month. The amount of money you’ll receive in Social Security benefits depends on either how much money you earn or how much you’ve paid into the program over time. Read more on what amount you can expect.
It’s important to answer the application questions truthfully, consistently, and briefly. Make sure you gather and submit all your medical records with your application. The SSA paperwork can be confusing, so our legal team has created a complete guide to help you with the application process.
No, Alaska doesn’t have a state disability program. Only five states (California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) have a state program. Residents of Alaska can apply for federal disability programs (SSDI and SSI), or have a private or veterans’ policy. Read more about SSDI and SSI here.
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Jackie Jakab
Lead Attorney
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