Disability Benefits

When You've Suffered a Disability …

For people who have become disabled, obtaining government and/or private benefits can make a huge difference. At the Springfield, Missouri, law firm of Schmidt, Kirby & Sullivan, P.C., disability benefits are a major part of our legal practice.

Attorney Bruce K. Kirby has been handling social security disability cases since 1975, winning many thousands. He has given multiple seminars on social security disability and taught several Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes on the topic. Attorney Dennis C. O'Dell is a board certified Social Security disability specialist*. Both of our disability benefits attorneys are fully prepared to take your case through the appeals process and into federal court if necessary.

If you need help with a denied claim for disability benefits, please contact us.

Understanding Your Options

If you have a disability, there are several options we can explore for getting the benefits you need. Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for one or more of the following programs:

Social Security Disability Insurance: This is available to people who have worked and paid Social Security taxes over a period of time and have received a disability that prevents them from working for one year or more.
Supplemental Security Income: This is available to disabled, blind and aged people (defined by federal law) who need financial assistance to meet their basic needs.
Long-term disability insurance: These private plans are offered by many employers. The benefits they provide may overlap with government benefits, and the denial and appeals process is governed by federal law.

If you received your disability through a workplace injury, you may also be eligible for workers' compensation benefits. If you have been denied disability benefits under any of these programs, we can help you understand your options for appealing the denial and/or seeking benefits from another source.

No Fees Unless You Get Benefits

If you come to us with a disability benefits case, you will not owe us attorneys' fees for any of our services — including the initial consultation — unless we are able to recover benefits for you.

Note that with or without a lawyer working on your case, there may be certain fees involved in seeking disability benefits, including filing fees and charges for obtaining your medical records.

* Certified by the National Board of Social Security Advocacy

Neither the Supreme Court of Missouri nor the Missouri Bar reviews or approves certifying organizations or specialist designation.