If you are unable to work, the first question you should ask yourself is why. Are you unable to work because you cannot find a job? If that is the case, one resource available for free to all Florida residents is vocational rehabilitation. The Florida Department of Education’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation provides free assistance with job training and placement. The division has multiple locations throughout the state of Florida. If the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is not able to help you, may want to consider contacting Goodwill Industries. Goodwill was founded on the premise of helping people get back to work. If neither of those options sounds appealing, you can always look online at job posting websites such as Indeed, Monster or CareerBuilder.
If you were let go from your job through no fault of your own, you should apply for unemployment. To file an unemployment claim with the state of Florida, simply visit the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity website. The website has prompted to walk you through the application process.
If you are unable to work due to a medical condition, you will have several other options available to you – again, depending on the circumstances. If you were injured at work, you should consider applying for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation is a state-run program that assists employees with receiving not only medical treatments for their injuries but also wages lost during recovery. Applying for workers’ compensation is as easy as calling your employer and reporting the incident. If the employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance, you might want to consider bringing a personal injury claim against them for the damages you have suffered.
If you are unable to work due to a medical condition that was NOT caused on the job, you may want to consider applying for Social Security Disability benefits. There are two types of disability: one is a private disability, and the other is Social Security Disability (SSD). Private disability is an option your employer may provide to you, although it is not required. Generally, private disability includes both short-term (up to 3 months), and long-term (anywhere from two years to indefinite) disability benefits. The other type of disability is SSD insurance (SSDI). The SSDI program is a mandatory government insurance program set in place to help individuals with both monetary and health insurance benefits while they are out of work. This program differs from private disability in that you need to show you have been disabled for a 12-month time frame. Also, you need to show that you are incapable of not only performing your past work but also any other type of work in the national economy. SSD is a benefit not quite as well known as the others mentioned above. The program can also be applied for in conjunction with any of the other options discussed previously.
If you or a loved one are struggling to work due to a physical and/or mental condition, you should consider applying for SSD benefits. At LaBovick Law Group, we provide free consultations for all of our clients. We would be happy to discuss your situation with you, provide you with our recommendations, and/or take you on as a client. Contact us today!
