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.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) provided disability benefits to more than 200,000 New Jersey residents in 2022. They are proof that you can successfully complete the application and win benefits. To help you through the process, this guide will explain who is eligible for benefits, how the disability application works, and the monthly benefit payments you may receive.
New Jersey residents with disability benefits are most likely to qualify for SSDI or SSI, so the rest of this guide will explain how to apply for either program. You can also reference our guide to the types of disability benefits to get help applying for the other programs.
You’ll have to meet certain medical and technical criteria to qualify for disability benefits. SSDI and SSI share the same medical criteria, but the technical criteria are different.
The medical requirements for SSDI and SSI have two parts: You must have a disability or medical condition that leaves you unable to work, and your condition should be expected to affect you for at least a year. The SSA will need proof from your healthcare providers, including medical documentation.
You can expedite the medical portion of the application process if your condition is on SSA’s compassionate allowance list, which includes severe and terminal conditions.
The SSA will also consider your age. The eligibility requirements are more lenient for applicants over the age of 50. Applicants who are at least 50 only need to prove that their conditions make them unable to continue the kinds of work they’ve previously done. Applicants under 50 have to prove that their condition makes it impossible to do any type of work — even if they retrain.
To qualify for SSDI, you must meet two basic criteria:
Learn more in our explanation of SSDI eligibility rules.
To qualify for SSI, you must meet the income and asset limits:
Learn more about eligibility for SSI.
The SSA does post a list of the most common qualifying health conditions for Social Security disability benefits. But your condition doesn’t have to be on that list to qualify. You can win benefits as long as your condition makes you unable to work for at least a year.
Recent SSA data shows that New Jersey residents who currently receive disability benefits have the following conditions:
New Jersey disability recipients who get benefits for a mental health condition most commonly have:
For more help, read our article on getting disability for mental illness.
There are a number of steps to apply for disability. First complete the Social Security disability benefits application. Then you’ll need to fill out supplemental forms, like a work history report, which includes information about your work experience, and a function report, which includes details about how your condition impacts your daily life. The SSA may request more forms or medical information as they process your application.
You can fill these forms out on your own or you can get help from a disability lawyer to complete the application.
If you’re applying on behalf of someone else, you can also use our guides to applying for child disability benefits or applying for disability for a loved one.
Make sure you set aside plenty of time to complete the application — it can take one to two hours (or more). That’s in addition to the time you need to collect the required medical documents and records. A lawyer can greatly help with the application, but there are some key steps to understand:
Get more detailed help in this step-by-step guide to applying for disability.
You have three options for submitting your application:
Applying online may seem like the easiest option, but applying in person can be helpful if you apply on your own. The SSA employees can explain what the application questions are asking and clarify anything else about the process. Keep in mind, though, that only a lawyer can give you personalized legal advice, like whether your answers are strong or if you should focus on different details.
Further reading: What Do Disability Lawyers Actually Do?
Many applicants want help with the application. Working with a lawyer is your best option. A lawyer can strengthen your responses, complete the application for you, stay in touch with the SSA, and represent you at any court hearings. Disability lawyers also don’t charge anything until after you win benefits, meaning you can get help right away but won’t have to worry about the bill until later. (If you don’t win benefits you don’t have to pay anything.)
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.
Once you submit your application, the SSA will process your application and verify whether you meet the technical requirements for SSDI or SSI. Your state’s Disability Determination Services (DDS) will complete its own review to confirm that you’re medically eligible. You may also need to schedule a phone interview with the SSA or get a quick consultative exam with a DDS doctor.
This process may sound quick but as of early 2023, applicants waited an average of six months for an initial decision on their application.
Your application will most likely go through a few rounds of denial and appeal before you receive the SSA’s final decision. Your chances of getting approved actually increase after a few appeals.
The SSA rejects 70% of first-time applications. At that point, you can file for reconsideration, but the SSA rejects 90% of those reviews. Then you can appeal for a disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ).
A hearing does sound intimidating, but appearing in front of a judge is actually your best chance of getting approved. More than half of disability hearings end with winning benefits. You’re also three times more likely to win benefits if you work with a lawyer at the hearing stage.
Learn more about the chances of winning a disability appeal.
As of March 2023, New Jersey residents waited an average of 29 months — almost two and a half years — from the time they applied until the time they were approved. This is a couple of months longer than the average wait in the United States.
The long wait time comes down to the multiple rounds of appeal most people have to navigate. Applicants in New Jersey can expect the following average wait times for each round:
Keep in mind, wait times vary by hearing office. Your actual wait time will depend on which hearing office handles your application. There are three hearing offices in New Jersey, and the wait time for each is below.
Hearing office | Wait time for a hearing |
---|---|
Jersey City | 15 months |
Newark | 15 months |
South Jersey | 20 months |
There is no way to speed up the process, but there are some important ways to prevent delays. You can keep your application on track by submitting your application as soon as it's complete, then following up with the SSA right away. Make sure to stay on top of any additional requests from the SSA. Your lawyer can also move your application forward by contacting the SSA as needed and overseeing your appeals.
The good news is that if you do get approved for disability, you’ll be compensated for the wait. Your first disability check will include back pay benefits that cover the amount of benefits you would’ve received if you’d been approved earlier instead of having to appeal and wait.
Related article: How Much Does a Disability Lawyer Cost?
Disability benefit amounts vary depending on which program you qualify for. TDI will consider your pre-injury income, SSDI is based on your income and tax history, and your SSI payment is based on your current monthly income. It’s also possible to receive SSDI and SSI benefits at the same time.
New Jersey short-term disability benefits pay residents 85% of their average former weekly wage. This is capped at a maximum weekly benefit of $1,025 in 2023 — meaning the most you could earn is $26,650 over the program’s 26 weeks.
The average SSDI payment in New Jersey is $1,505.33, but SSDI offers a maximum of $3,627 per month in 2023.
Your benefit amount won’t change based on where you live or your medical condition. The biggest 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 maximum monthly payment for SSI is $914 in 2023, though New Jersey benefits recipients have an average monthly payment of $631.99.
The SSA will determine your SSI benefit check amount by subtracting any money you have coming in each month from the maximum possible benefit. That means that if you have no other income, your monthly SSI payment will be $914.
Learn more about what counts as SSI income.
The SSDI and SSI application is rigorous, but a lawyer can streamline the process. Your lawyer can help you apply, file your appeals, correspond with the SSA, and handle your court hearings. Not only does this take the stress out of the application process, but it’s also why applicants with lawyers are more likely to get approved.
As you look for a New Jersey disability lawyer, consider the following factors:
Atticus can help you find an experienced lawyer who will make your case a priority. Start with our free disability benefits questionnaire and we’ll find you a qualified match. You’ll still get to choose whether you 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 New Jersey. 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 New Jersey is $1,505.33 per month. The average SSI payment is $631.99 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.
Yes, New Jersey is one of the five states with its own state disability program. Residents can apply for Temporary Disability Insurance, which offers payments for up to 26 weeks. Work injuries aren’t covered, though. If your injury will keep you out of work longer, you can still apply for SSDI and SSI. Read more about the difference 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