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.
When your disability makes it impossible to work, there are benefit programs in place to financially protect you. Unfortunately, applying and getting approved for disability can feel like another full-time job.
We put together this guide to ease the confusion, simplify the complexities, and accurately set your expectations as you apply for disability. We’ll cover what programs are worth applying for, how much you could stand to earn if you’re approved, what you need to qualify, and how long the process will take.
Arizona doesn’t have a state-specific disability program — but there are some national and private disability options you might qualify for.
Here’s a brief overview of your most common options:
1. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): SSDI supports Americans who can no longer work due to a medical condition. Most Americans pay into Social Security through their taxes, and the amount you receive from SSDI largely depends on how much you’ve historically paid in. For this reason, your work history — as well as your medical history — determines whether or not you qualify (we’ll cover qualifications in more depth later in this article).
2. Supplemental Security Income (SSI): If you haven’t worked enough, or worked recently enough, to qualify for SSDI, SSI is an option. It’s another federal program, and you apply on the same application as SSDI. SSI is needs-based, and to qualify you have to meet certain income and asset limits.
3. Long-term or short-term private disability insurance: If you (or your employer) purchased disability insurance prior to you becoming disabled — you can file a claim with the insurer. These pay out a percentage of your former income — but the exact amount and duration of the benefit will depend on the policy. As you would guess, the primary difference between these policies is the duration for which they pay out.
4. Veterans disability benefits: If you served in the military and suffered an injury that left you unable to work, you should apply for disability benefits through Veterans Affairs. For more information, visit the VA’s disability benefits website.
For the rest of this article, we’re going to focus on SSDI and SSI. These are the programs that most Arizonians qualify for. It’s generally what someone means when they talk about “applying for disability.”
It’s also frequently necessary to apply for SSDI and SSI when trying to qualify for other programs (like most long-term disability plans). Or, they’re advantageous to apply for in conjunction with other programs (like VA benefits).
To qualify for either SSDI you have to meet two types of requirements: Medical requirements (which are the same for both programs), and technical requirements (which differ between SSDI and SSI).
Any medical condition that prevents you from working can qualify for disability. Generally speaking, your condition qualifies if it lasts longer than one year or could potentially lead to death.
You cannot get SSDI benefits if your condition will improve, such that it no longer prevents you from working, within the year.
Amongst these the most common conditions to qualify in Arizona were:
Among mental health conditions, the most common conditions were:
Some particularly severe or terminal conditions (like stage 4 cancer or ALS), may be listed for compassionate allowance. In these cases, you automatically qualify for federal benefits (so long as you meet the work or income requirements).
To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must also:
Read more on SSDI eligibility.
To qualify for SSI, you must also:
More on SSI qualifications here.
You can apply for disability benefits with the help of a lawyer, or on your own. Most often, you’ll be required to file the application and supplementary documentation on your work history, your day to-day functioning, and your treatment history.
There are three ways to submit an application for disability benefits:
If you’re not applying with a lawyer, we highly recommend you apply at the SSA office. They won’t give you legal advice, but they can advise you on how to answer the application questions accurately. You can generally call your local SSA office to make an appointment ahead of time.
If you are applying with a lawyer, they should do the heavy-lifting: either they’ll get your case information and apply on your behalf, or they’ll walk you through how to apply on your own.
It takes most people hours to submit an application because of the documentation needed.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to submit an application:
Again, if you’re working with a lawyer, they should fill out your application for you (the right way), gather your medical records, and confirm receipt with the SSA. (If you’d like more advice on how to fill out the initial application, or how you can find the right lawyer — Atticus can help out for free).
While some people have their application accepted at the initial decision stage—most people (about 70%) are rejected, and have to file for reconsideration. About 91% of reconsiderations are also rejected, and applicants request a hearing with an administrative law judge.
More than 50% of people are approved for benefits at a hearing — and your odds increase threefold if you work with a lawyer. We wrote at length about what to expect at a hearing and your chances of winning your appeal.
The length of time it takes to get benefits varies. Most applicants will be denied at first, and each stage of the appeal process comes with another waiting period.
In 2022, to receive an initial decision took an average of 6.1 months (184 days).
The time to process reconsideration requests took another 6.1 months (183 days) on average.
The time you wait for your hearing date depends on your SSA hearing office. The average wait in Arizona, between requesting a hearing and appearing at one, is anywhere from 9 to 16.5 months.
Office | Wait time |
---|---|
Phoenix (Downtown) | 16 months |
Phoenix (North) | 11.5 months |
Tucson | 9 months |
Adding these up, if you file your paperwork immediately, it takes around 1.8 years (22 months) to get disability benefits in Arizona. Once you add in the time spent sending in supplementary forms, filing for reconsideration, requesting a hearing, and waiting for the judge’s decision — most applicants will spend around two to two and a half years going from application to approval.
Sending the SSA your documentation as soon as possible is the only way to speed up this process — so it’s important to meet deadlines, and get forms and medical records their way as fast as possible. Your lawyer can help you stay on track, and will call to confirm the SSA has all the information they need.
The average monthly benefit for disabled workers in Arizona was $1,329.39 per month (according to the most recent SSA data), though the maximum possible benefit is $3,627 in 2023.
It’s easy to learn exactly what you would qualify for by signing up for an SSA.gov account. To check your potential benefit amount, and your SSDi work-history eligibility:
The maximum you can receive for SSI nationwide is $914 per month in 2023. The SSA will subtract any other regular monthly income from this amount. So if you make any additional income (ie. stocks and investments, SNAP benefits, part-time work, etc.), that will be deducted from your monthly check.
The average monthly SSI payment in Arizona is $574.76 per month — just above the national average of $568.13.
When you’re applying, disability lawyers can save you from critical application missteps and save you weeks of paperwork.
At the hearing stage, they’re critical to have in your corner. They cross examine witnesses from the state and help you make the best possible case before a judge.
Overall, applicants with a lawyer on their side are three times more likely to win benefits than those without, and 83% of applicants have legal representation at the hearing stage.
If you’re trying to vet for a disability lawyer on your own, ask these questions before choosing one:
It can be challenging to suss out great lawyers from mediocre lawyers without a legal background. If you’d like to be matched with a lawyer who’s a great fit for your claim, Atticus can help (for free).
We’ve spent years vetting disability lawyers and have built a network of legal teams (chosen from the top 5% of firms). We trust them to treat our clients well, and to win their cases. If you want our help evaluating the right disability lawyer for you, sign up here.
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 Arizona. 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 Arizona is $1,329.39 per month. The average SSI payment is $574.76 per month. What you’ll earn is dependent 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, Arizona 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 Arizona can apply for federal disability programs (SSDI and SSI). Read more about 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