There are many documents involved in applying for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. The process begins online at the Social Security Administration (SSA) Web site. After that, there are many more Social Security Disability forms to fill out before a final decision is made on your disability claim. What you want to make sure is to provide SSA with complete information from the start.
Don’t Make Your Disability Claim a Waste of Time
Your application must accurately highlight key facts about your unique situation that clearly prove to the SSA why you are eligible for disability benefits. If your application is incomplete in any way, you have a very good chance of getting rejected by the SSA.
SSA expects 3.3 million disability claims in 2010. That’s a 27 percent increase from the claims it received in 2009. SSA doesn’t have time to deal with applications that don’t have proof of eligibility. In fact, the SSA rejects 63 percent of first-time applications. If this is the case with your disability claim, you could wait months through the appeals process.
Before Filing with Disabilities, Gather the Information SSA Wants
There is a lot of personal information that you need to collect before starting your initial application. Your application requires details about you, your family, your employment history, and most importantly, medical information that will support why you think you qualify for disability benefits.
Your Medical History is an Important Component for Your Disability Claim
You will need to provide information about all of your doctors, as well as medical treatments, tests, and prescriptions. Your medical history shows SSA how your disability affects your daily life and your ability to work, which is another key component of your application.
Your Work History: What You Do and When
If you are over 31 and have not worked a total of five years in the last 10 years, stop the application process. You will not qualify, even if you have paid into Social Security through FICA taxes in the past.
One of the main determining factors for getting your disability claim approved is if you have a medical condition severe enough to prevent you from working in any type of job. The SSA will want to know what your job skills are, what types of work you’ve done, and how much you’ve made across all of your jobs.
If SSA believes that you have the education and, or, ability to learn new skills and adapt to work with your disability, you will not be approved. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is an income substitute for people who clearly have an SSA qualifying health disorder that has kept them out of work for 12 months or could result in death. Considering the volume of disability claims that the SSA receives, they must follow a strict approval process.
Expect Documents Stacks
Your initial application begins online on the SSA Web site. Once you have completed all the questions, SSA will send you a thick packet of Social Security Disability forms to further document your online application. This is just the first step in the application process. If your application is rejected for the first time, you can appeal the decision, which of course means, more forms to fill out.
Many deny the first disability claims that go through an appeals process and are eventually approved.
Applying for disability benefits is a complicated process, but you shouldn’t be daunted by it. There are experts in the Social Security disability field who know how it’s done. Guidance from a good Social Security advocacy group or attorney can increase your chances of getting approved.