Nashville, Tennessee Social Security and Disability Lawyer

Peter T. Skeie is dedicated to getting you compensation

Injuries, disabilities, and mental illnesses can affect all aspects of victims’ and families’ lives.  One of the most serious effects is economic—serious, disabling injuries and mental incapacitation prevent people from working to earn a living, from providing for their families, and from keeping up with long-term medical costs.  

Luckily, the system can work for you.  If you cannot work for at least one year, you may be entitled to Social Security disability benefits.  Similarly, the death or incapacitation of your family’s primary wage earner may leave you eligible to collect survivor benefits. Contact Peter T. Skeie & Associates to see if you are legally eligible for federal support.

How to obtain benefits

Once you apply for benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) informs you in about three to five months if your claim has been approved.  If not, you must appeal your case and wait again to see if your claim has been approved.  If it is denied again, you can appeal once more and you may have to appear before an Administrative Law Judge.  Cases that must go before administrative or even federal court can last two years or more.

Please view this site’s FAQ page to learn how to apply for benefits and how a lawyer can help you with your claim.

When the SSA considers someone to be disabled

To be considered disabled, you must have sustained a physical or mental injury or illness that has lasted (or will last) at least one year, or if that injury is expected to result in death.  These assessments are made according to medical records, lab reports, and physical signs of injury or disease.  If your injury fits the SSA’s definition, they consider many other factors to decide if you are eligible for either SSI or SSDI:

  • The nature of your disability
  • Income
  • Age
  • Past work experience

Refer to the easy-to-use Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool to determine whether your injury qualifies for benefits.  

Mental health disability claims

As Social Security and disability lawyers in Nashville, Tennessee, Peter T. Skeie & Associates has carved a niche in handling all types of claims for those with mental health disabilities. Usually appointed to these cases by Nashville social workers, Mr. Skeie has had success in these often difficult cases.  He offers a strong voice and guiding hand to these claimants to ensure they get the compensation they deserve. 

Survivor claims

If the primary provider for your family dies suddenly, you may be able to collect compensation from Social Security.  The amount of money you can collect through Social Security survivor benefits depends on the age of the worker who passed away.  The older the deceased worker, the more credits s/he accrued over a professional career.  More credits means the surviving family is eligible to collect more money.

Please visit the SSA page on survivor benefits for more information or contact Peter T. Skeie & Associates to schedule a free consultation.

Contact the firm

Located in Nashville, Peter T. Skeie & Associates represents those in the greater Nashville, TN area in Social Security disability claims and survivor benefits. To determine whether you may be eligible to receive these federal benefits or if you have been unsuccessful in obtaining them in the past, please call 615-313-9111 or contact the firm online to schedule a free initial consultation with a Social Security disability lawyer from our firm.