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.
In 2022, just over 52,000 Utahns received disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Like them, you can successfully navigate the application process and win benefits. To help, this guide explains who is eligible for benefits, how the disability application process works, and the monthly benefit payments you may receive.
Utah doesn’t have a state disability program but residents are still eligible for federal disability benefits and private insurance policies. If you’re a Utahn, you may qualify for one of the following programs:
Utahns most often qualify for disability benefits through SSDI or SSI, so the rest of this guide will walk you through the application process for both programs. If you’d like help with the other programs, read our guide to the types of disability benefits.
There are two sets of criteria you’ll have to meet before you can qualify for Social Security disability. The first is medical criteria, which are the same for both programs. The second is technical criteria, which vary between SSDI and SSI.
The medical qualifications for SSDI and SSI are two-fold: You must have proof that you have a disability or medical condition and can’t work because of it, and your condition must be expected to continue for at least a full year. You’ll need to provide documentation from your doctors and healthcare providers, including thorough medical records.
If you have a severe or terminal condition that’s listed on the SSA’s compassionate allowance list, you can get medical approval more quickly.
Your age also influences your chances of approval. Applicants over age 50 qualify more easily since the SSA only needs proof that you can’t continue the kind of work you’ve done in the past. If you’re under age 50, getting approved is more challenging because you have to prove you can’t work even if you retrain.
To qualify for SSDI, you must meet two basic criteria:
Learn more in our guide to SSDI eligibility.
To qualify for SSI, you must meet the income and asset limits:
Learn more about eligibility for SSI.
The SSA publishes the most common types of conditions they award benefits for, but you can win benefits as long as you stopped working because of your condition and will likely need to stay out of work for at least a year. (Learn more about qualifying health conditions.)
The most recent SSA data shows that Utahns who receive disability most commonly received them for following types of conditions:
Utah residents who receive disability benefits for a mental health condition most commonly have:
Qualifying for disability with a mental health condition isn’t easy. You can find more guidance in our article on getting disability for mental illness.
To apply for disability, you’ll need to complete a few different forms. The first is the main application, which is the same whether you apply for SSI or SSDI. Next, you’ll fill out two supplemental forms: a work history report to explain your work experience and a function report to explain how your condition limits your daily activities. The SSA may request more forms or medical information once it starts reviewing your application.
You can apply on your own, or you can get help from a disability lawyer.
If you’re helping someone else apply, you can also reference our guides to applying for disability on behalf of a child or applying for a loved one.
Set aside a few hours to prepare your application. It can take a couple of hours or more to fill out the initial application, plus whatever time you need to gather your documentation and medical records. A lawyer can usually work through this process faster, but there are some things you can to do prepare:
Get more help in this step-by-step guide to applying for disability.
You have three options for submitting your application:
Applying online can be convenient, but consider applying in person if you choose not to work with a lawyer. The SSA staff can help you understand what the application questions are asking and clarify anything else about the process. But only a lawyer can offer personalized legal advice, which includes how to make your responses stronger.
Further reading: What Do Disability Lawyers Actually Do?
Many applicants want help with the application. Working with a lawyer is likely your best option. Lawyers are the only ones who can strengthen your responses, submit the application for you, follow up with the SSA, and appear for court hearings. Even better, a good disability lawyer won’t charge anything until after you win benefits.
We at Atticus are a law firm, which means we can provide advice on filling out your application and finding the right lawyer for your case. To get help today, fill out our free 2-minute disability benefits quiz.
After you apply, your application goes through multiple reviews. First is an SSA review to verify that you meet the technical requirements for SSI or SSDI. Then, Disability Determination Services (DDS) will complete its own review to confirm you’re medically eligible. As part of these reviews, you may need to complete a phone interview with the SSA or schedule a consultative exam with a DDS doctor.
This process may sound simple but as of early 2023, applicants waited an average of just over six months for a decision.
You may go through a few rounds of denial and appeal before you get the SSA’s final decision. The good news is that your chances of getting approved for benefits are highest after multiple appeals.
The SSA rejects 70% of applicants on their first review. Applicants can then file for reconsideration, but the SSA rejects 90% of those reviews. If that happens, you can appeal for a disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ).
This may not sound promising, but appearing in front of a judge can be good for your case. Just over half of disability hearings ended with approval in 2022. You’re also three times more likely to win if you work with a lawyer at this stage.
Learn more about the chances of winning your disability appeal.
Utahns wait an average of two and a half years — about 30 months — from the time they apply until the time they are approved as of early 2023. This is a few months longer than the average wait in the United States.
The multiple rounds of appeal most applicants go through contribute to the long wait. If you live in Utah, you should expect the following average wait times for each round:
That said, wait times vary by hearing office. How long you actually wait will vary based on wait times at your local hearing office. There is only one hearing office in Utah and the wait time for it is below.
Hearing office | Wait time for a hearing |
---|---|
Salt Lake City | 14 months |
There is no way to speed up the application process, but there are some great ways to prevent delays. Submit your application as soon as it's complete, then contact the SSA to make sure they’ve received it. Respond quickly to any requests from the SSA. Your lawyer can also help by following up with the SSA and handling your appeals.
The silver lining is that, once you get approved, your first disability check will include back pay benefits. These benefits cover the payments you would’ve received if you’d been approved earlier instead of having to appeal.
Related article: How to Find the Right Disability Lawyer for Your Case
There is no one disability benefits amount in Utah. To determine your check size, the SSA will consider either your work experience (for SSDI) or your monthly income (for SSI). Your payment will also vary if you receive payments from SSDI and SSI at the same time.
Utahns who receive SSDI have an average monthly payment of $1,351.22, but SSDI’s monthly maximum for 2023 is $3,627.
Your benefits won’t be based on your medical condition or where you live, though. The determining factors are your income during your career and how much you’ve paid into Social Security.
You can see exactly how much your benefits will be through your SSA.gov account:
For a more in-depth look, here’s how your SSDI payment is calculated.
The monthly maximum SSI payment for 2023 is $914, but Utah residents receive an average SSI payment of $599.43.
The SSA will subtract any money you have coming each month from the program’s monthly maximum to determine your SSI benefits amount. That means that your monthly SSI payment will be $914 if you have no other income.
Learn more about what counts as SSI income.
Applying for SSDI and SSI is challenging, but a lawyer can make the process much easier. Your lawyer can handle appeals, stay in touch with the SSA, and represent you at court hearings. This takes some of the stress of applying off your shoulders. It’s also why you’re more likely to get approved if you do work with a lawyer.
As you look for a Utah disability lawyer, consider the following factors:
Atticus can help you find an experienced lawyer who will make your case a priority and treat you with respect. Start with our free disability benefits questionnaire and we’ll find you a qualified match. You’ll still get to choose whether to work with our lawyers, and you won’t pay anything until after you win benefits.
To qualify for disability you need to have a condition that prevents you from working for at least a year. You’ll also need to meet certain work history requirements (for SSDI) or be within certain income limits (for SSI). For more on these requirements, read our full write up here.
Any condition that will prevent you from working for a year or more can qualify for disability benefits. Some of the most common conditions include musculoskeletal disorders, mental disorders, nervous system diseases, and circulatory system diseases. See our full list of conditions that qualify here.
It takes an average of 6.1 months to get an initial disability decision in Utah. Most people who apply are initially rejected, and need to appeal this decision. If you appeal and go to a hearing, the process takes around two years on average. Read more: How Long It Takes to Get Approved for Disability Benefits
The average SSDI payment in Utah is $1,351.22 per month. The average SSI payment is $599.43 per month. What you’ll earn depends on your income, or the amount you’ve historically paid into the Social Security program. Read more on what amount you can expect.
Answer the application questions truthfully, consistently, and succinctly. You should also ensure that you gather and submit all your medical records with your application. The SSA paperwork can be complicated, so our legal team has written a full guide to the application here.
No, there is no Utah state disability program. Only five states (California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) have their own program. Residents of Utah can apply for the federal disability programs of SSDI and SSI. Read more about the differences between SSDI and SSI here.
How long has your condition made it hard to work?
Jackie Jakab
Lead Attorney
At the bottom of many websites, you'll find a small disclaimer: "We are not a law firm and are not qualified to give legal advice." If you see this, run the other way. These people can't help you: they're prohibited by law from giving meaningful advice, recommending specific lawyers, or even telling you whether you need a lawyer at all.
There’s no disclaimer here: Atticus is a law firm, and we are qualified to give legal advice. We can answer your most pressing questions, make clear recommendations, and search far and wide to find the right lawyer for you.
Two important things to note: If we give you legal advice, it will be through a lawyer on our staff communicating with you directly. (Don't make important decisions about your case based solely on this or any other website.) And if we take you on as a client, it will be through a document you sign. (No attorney-client relationship arises from using this site or calling us.)
Terms | Privacy | Disclaimer