Atticus offers free, high-quality disability advice for Americans who can't work. Our team of Stanford and Harvard trained lawyers has a combined 15+ years of legal experience, and have helped over 10,000 Americans apply for disability benefits.
Why trust us?When your disability keeps you from working, it may be time to file for disability benefits. While the process of filing a disability claim in North Carolina may be confusing or intimidating, monthly disability benefits can offer you greater financial protection.
Data released by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2022 shows about 344,000 North Carolina residents received disability benefits. In this article, we’ll walk you through how you can apply for disability benefits in North Carolina and what to expect throughout the process.
We've helped 5,891 people apply for disability in North Carolina. Get free help.North Carolina does not have its own disability program, but there are federal and private programs you may be eligible for that provide disability benefits:
For the rest of this guide, we will refer to the SSDI and SSI programs since they’re the most widely available and the ones most North Carolinians qualify for. These are the programs most are referring to when they talk about “applying for disability.”
Skip the reading. See which benefits you qualify for in 2 minutes or less. Take the quiz.To qualify for disability in North Carolina, you must have a qualifying medical condition, and meet certain work history or income requirements. Below are the basic qualifications.
There are three basic criteria for SSDI:
To qualify for SSI, you must:
A medical condition can qualify for Social Security disability benefits, as long as it keeps you from working, you expect it to last at least one more year, or it’s a terminal condition. (Learn more in our guide to qualifying conditions.)
Here are the most common qualifying conditions for residents of North Carolina, along with the percentage of recipients who receive disability benefits for that condition:
The most common mental health conditions were:
You can apply for disability benefits in North Carolina on your own but if you want help with your application, you can also work with a disability lawyer.
In addition to the main application form, you’ll need to complete supplementary forms on your work history and how your condition affects your day-to-day functioning (function report). You’ll also need records of your treatment history.
You can submit your disability benefits application in three ways:
We recommend you apply at an SSA office if you’re not applying with a lawyer. While the office won’t give legal advice, they can advise you on how to answer the questions accurately. You may need to call the SSA office ahead of time and make an appointment.
If you’re working with a lawyer for the application process, they should do the heavy lifting for you. They can either get your case information and apply on your behalf, or walk you through each step as you apply on your own.
The Social Security disability application can take hours to prepare, so it’s helpful to understand what you need before you start. If you’re working with a lawyer, they can request your medical information on your behalf and make sure you’re including everything you need.
The best way to get help with your application is by working with a lawyer. They can ensure you’re filling out the application correctly, gather your medical records for you, and follow up with the SSA throughout. (If you’d like more advice on how to fill out the initial application, or how you can find the right lawyer, Atticus can help out for free.)
Most applicants must go through a multi-step appeal process before they can get benefits. While it’s possible to win your case from the initial application, about 70% are rejected and have to file for reconsideration. Even after re-submitting, about 91% of reconsiderations are also rejected. Claimants can then request a hearing in front of a judge. This stage has the highest approval rate at just over 50%. (Your odds of winning also increase threefold if you work with a disability lawyer.)
Find a top disability lawyer in North Carolina. Get matched today.Most disability applicants can expect to wait a couple of years before they start receiving benefits. Not every application is the same but in 2022 the average time to receive an initial decision was 6.1 months (184 days). The average person who filed for a reconsideration could expect to wait another 4.9 months (147 days) for a decision. Then the process of waiting for a hearing would add another year or more.
The table below shows the waiting time from request date to hearing date, by office in North Carolina.
Hearing office
Wait time
Adding all these times and assuming that you file your paperwork and respond to any SSA requests, the entire process to get disability benefits in North Carolina averages 2 years and 1 month. That’s 25.3 months from applying for the first time until you can actually start getting payments.
As you can see, it’s a long and drawn out process. Unfortunately, there also aren’t many ways to speed up the process since most of it relies on SSA processing times. Your best two options are to respond to any SSA document requests as soon as possible, and to work with a good disability lawyer to maximize your chances of success the first time you go through the process.
The exact amount of your disability check will depend on your personal work history and income, but there are some numbers you should be aware of.
We'll use the Social Security Administration's formula to estimate your monthly benefit.
Find your amountThe average monthly benefit for disabled workers in North Carolina is $1,359.17, slightly above the nationwide average according to the most recent SSA data. The maximum possible SSDI payment for 2024 is $3,822 per month.
It’s important to note the maximum payment amount is set by law and is the same for all applicants, regardless of your medical condition.
You can learn what your potential benefit amount is and your work-history eligibility by signing up for an SSA.gov account and reviewing your information:
The maximum amount you can receive per month from SSI in 2024 is $943. How much you get is that maximum amount minus the value of your other income. According to the latest data from the SSA, the average SSI payment for blind and disabled people in North Carolina was $609.14 in December 2022.
Finding a good disability lawyer is an important piece in the puzzle of getting disability benefits. A good lawyer can prevent critical missteps that slow down the process or keep you from getting benefits altogether. Consider the following criteria during your search:
Finding a good lawyer can take time. If you’d like to be matched with a lawyer who’s a fit for your claim, Atticus can help. Start with our eligibility quiz to confirm whether you could qualify for benefits, and then we can match you with an experienced lawyer if you want one. Our services are free and you only have to pay the lawyer if you win benefits.
Ready to get benefits today? See if you qualify.To qualify for disability you need to have a condition that prevents you from working for at least a year. You’ll also need to meet certain work history requirements (for SSDI) or be within certain income limits (for SSI). For more on these requirements, read our full write up here.
Any condition that will prevent you from working for a year or more can qualify for disability benefits. Some of the most common conditions include musculoskeletal disorders, mental disorders, nervous system diseases, and circulatory system diseases. See our full list of conditions that qualify here.
It takes an average of 6.1 months to get an initial disability decision in North Carolina. Most people who apply are initially rejected, and need to appeal this decision. If you appeal and go to a hearing, the process takes around two years on average. Read more: How Long It Takes to Get Approved for Disability Benefits
The average SSDI payment in North Carolina is $1,359.17 per month. The average SSI payment is $609.14 per month. What you’ll earn is dependent on your income, or the amount you’ve historically paid into the Social Security program. Read more on what amount you can expect.
Answer the application questions truthfully, consistently, and succinctly. You should also ensure that you gather and submit all your medical records with your application. The SSA paperwork can be complicated, so our legal team has written a full guide to the application here.
No, North Carolina does not have a state disability program. Only five states (California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) have a state program. Residents of North Carolina can apply for federal disability programs (SSDI and SSI). Read more about SSDI and SSI here.
