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Homeless Man Given a Chance to Apply for Disability

Plenty of homeless people on the street would likely qualify for Social Security disability benefits, but they never get a chance to find out. Fortunately, some people have made it possible for the local homeless to at least apply for the SSA program.

According to Chicago-Sun Times, a businessman started a conversation with a homeless man in 2008. After talking about the man's history, including how he became homeless, he decided to set up a fund to get the man off the streets. He raised about $15,000, and was able to get him an apartment.

Now, it's a year and a half later, and he is still in the apartment. However, the businessman cannot continue supporting him for much longer, so the formerly homeless 54-year-old is determined to make enough money to pay most of his own bills. Most of all, he wants to make sure he can stay in his apartment.

He currently sells newspapers in Chicago to make some money. Since he has had a stroke in the past and has medical issues stemming from that, he is likely eligible for disability benefits. Thus, he has applied, and is waiting for his hearing. The businessman who first set up the fund to help him get an apartment believes in him so much that he has said he will testify for him at the hearing. If he gets the benefits, he will be able to support himself instead of relying on others to give him charity. 

This is just one example of a homeless person who likely qualifies for disability payments. If the businessman had not taken a chance on him to begin with, he would probably not have much stability in his life, such as an apartment. He would likely not have even known that he was eligible. It is hoped that he will get an answer about the benefits soon.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida disability lawyers, LaVan & Neidenberg, represent over 5000 disability claimants. Our disability attorneys have experience with cross examining agency-appointed medical and vocational experts and take time when speaking with you about your disability claim. Call us today at 1-888-234-5758 for a FREE legal consultation. There is NO OBLIGATION to hire our firm and there are NO FEES unless one of our trained disability lawyers wins your case.