Claim Social Security Disability with Help from a Joliet and Will County Disability Attorney
Joliet and Will County residents don’t often like to ask for help. But when health problems threaten your livelihood, you should know you have options.
Social Security Disability exists to ensure people can stabilize their lives after a severe impairment prevents them from earning a living.
Through two programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), people can receive monthly checks to help with mounting medical bills and daily expenses.
But applying for Social Security Disability is no easy stroll along the Des Plaines River. The complicated application process more often than not leads to a denial.
Hardworking people can get help from an experienced Social Security attorney in Joliet.
Nash Disability Law has been helping folks in Will County with their Social Security Disability claims for more than 40 years. Our SSDI attorneys in Joliet and Illinois have helped thousands of people.
We understand the pride of people in Joliet. The fascinating limestone architecture and Will County’s place on the prairie cement it into the entire country’s history and spirit of industriousness. That could not have happened without the hardworking people who call this place home.
When you need disability benefits, you might feel beaten down. The Joliet disability lawyers at Nash Disability Law treat you with dignity and respect.
We don’t charge you an attorney fee until you win benefits. We focus entirely on disability law.
WE’VE HELPED MORE PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO AREA WIN BENEFITS THAN ANY OTHER LAW FIRM.
How Does the Social Security Disability Process Work in Joliet and Will County?
As the fourth-largest city in Illinois, Joliet has hustle and bustle. Will County has thriving manufacturing and health care industries. Amazon, Ulta and WeatherTech have bases here.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a field office on Houbolt Road, between MacDonough Street and Forestview Drive. The closest disability hearing office where people take their claims before administrative law judges is in nearby Orland Park, though your claim won’t necessarily be heard there.
When you need to seek Social Security Disability in Joliet and Will County, what you do to prepare counts most. And that’s the hard part.
Social Security requires a mountain of paperwork to establish your eligibility for SSDI or SSI. You will need a full account of your medical history and your work history.
To qualify for SSDI, you must show that you paid into the program through payroll taxes in recent years and that your health issue is severe enough that you cannot work for at least a year.
SSI is available to people who cannot work and can show they don’t have access to many financial resources, no past work record required.
SSI is also available to families with children who have qualifying medical conditions and who qualify financially.
When you apply, your case goes to the Illinois Bureau of Disability Determination Services (DDS), a state agency that gets its funding from the federal government and does the first review of your medical eligibility.
It can take seven months or more to hear back about your claim. And then two out of every three applications get a denial. The denial letter will give reasons and explain your steps to appeal.
Appeals go through these main stages:
- Reconsideration: Your first step is to ask the DDS to reconsider your case. This has the lowest success rate.
- Request a hearing: An administrative law judge will hear your case. It could happen in a local Social Security hearing office, or by phone or video with a judge in another region. This is the best opportunity to tell your story. You can get a Social Security Disability lawyer in Joliet by your side to support your claim.
- Appeals Council review: If the judge does not rule in your favor, you can ask a group at Social Security called the Appeals Council to assess the judge’s decision and possibly send your case back for a new decision.
Your chances of approval can increase if you work with a disability lawyer in Joliet, IL. Government studies have found that people with representatives at their hearings were more likely to be approved for benefits.
Our team at Nash Disability Law has decades of experience with the local Social Security offices, doctors, hospitals and judges who play a role in your claim. This is one advantage a local disability lawyer gives you over national firms and non-lawyer disability representative companies.
Another advantage is that we care about you and the community.
We love Joliet—for its role in The Blues Brothers, its prime spot on Route 66, but mostly its people. Joliet is iconically American.
When you’re in Joliet and you’re applying for disability benefits, you should know that Nash Disability Law is one of the top disability firms in Illinois and the country according to Social Security statistics on firms that win the most cases.
We can help you at every step along the way, and it costs you nothing to consult with us.
Get a FREE disability claim consultation in Joliet.
Will Social Security in Joliet and Will County Recognize My Impairment?
About 12,000 people in Will County receive SSDI benefits, according to Social Security. Another 6,000 participate in the SSI program.
Social Security maintains a list of medical impairments that qualify for disability benefits. If your impairment is listed there, you can use the listing as a guide in building your case.
But if it’s not there, don’t give up hope. Social Security provides other routes to disability benefits.
If you can show that your symptoms, taken together, prevent you from engaging in “substantial gainful activity” (SGA), then you could qualify for financially stabilizing monthly disability checks.
In 2026, Social Security defines substantial gainful activity as earning $1,690 or more a month from working.
Nationally, the most recognized impairments for disability benefits include:
- Musculoskeletal disorders, such as back problems, spinal conditions or arthritis. Social Security will look for signs of pain, weakness or numbness caused by nerve problems or damage to your bones or muscles.
- Mental health disorders, which include everything from neurocognitive conditions to anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia and eating disorders.
From our offices in Palos Hills and Chicago, Nash Disability Law has a long history of helping the residents of Joliet and Will County.
We know what Social Security looks for in disability applications. We can help you present your case in full while avoiding common mistakes that lead to denials.
Give yourself some peace of mind. In Joliet and Will County, get Nash Disability Law to lighten your burden in seeking Social Security Disability benefits.
To us, you’re a neighbor, not a number.
Joliet Social Security Disability FAQs
What Social Security office handles Joliet-area claims?
Social Security handles applications in Joliet and across Will County through its field office at 552 Houbolt Road in Joliet. Hearings are often managed through its nearby office in Orland Park. But you can apply online or over the phone.
What jobs in Joliet are covered by Social Security Disability?
All jobs are covered. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for work. What’s important for Social Security Disability is showing that you can no longer work.
Joliet’s jobs in product distribution, health care, education, manufacturing, retail and more can become impossible when medical issues interfere.
The disability attorneys for Joliet at Nash Disability Law help you show Social Security how your symptoms interfere with the demands of your past work and other work.
Do I need a local disability lawyer in Joliet, IL?
You may see national law firms, out-of-state law firms or national disability representative companies advertising that they can help you in Joliet.
But you may be better off with someone local.
A local Joliet disability attorney brings familiarity with local health care providers, local jobs and local Social Security offices. They may take more time to help you personally. And the cost is the same anyway—no fee until you win.