What Information Do I Need To Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits
Life can be difficult for many people who have disabilities. One of the ways the government helps those people is by providing financial assistance through the Social Security Administration . There are two programs that the SSA runs, Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income . Both programs get thousands of applications each year, but not everyone is approved. In some cases, the information provided at the time they applied was either incorrect or not sufficient to allow them to begin collecting benefits. When , it is important that you have all of the required information organized and prepared.
How To Apply For Long Term Disability Benefits
This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHows legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 18,857 times.
If you have become disabled and can no longer work, you may be eligible to receive disability benefits. Private insurers and the federal government typically define long-term disability as one your doctors believe will last a year or longer, or will be fatal. Because it can take months before your application is approved and you start receiving benefits, you should apply for long-term disability benefits as soon as possible after your doctor diagnoses your disability and confirms your inability to work.XTrustworthy SourceUS Social Security AdministrationIndependent U.S. government agency that administers Social Security and related informationGo to source
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What Information Do You Need
The Social Security Administration will look at your records closely. They will require a significant amount of information to make a decision on your claim. Thus, you will need to provide a variety of personal, medical, and family Information. This is Information used to verify your identity, medical history, place of residence, family members, and other Information.
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What Medical Conditions Qualify For Short
To qualify for short-term disability your medical condition must prevent you from doing your regular job duties. You must show how the symptoms or impairments from your medical condition interfere with your ability to perform you job duties.
To do this you will need to have an official list of your job duties. Then you can get your doctor review the list of duties and confirm that you cannot perform the majority of these duties because of your medical condition.
Most short term disaibltiy plans will require you to be continuously disabled for 7 days or so before you can qualify for benefits. This is called a waiting period or elimination period.
Following is an example of typical wording of the disability requirement for a short-term disability plan. Please note this is only an example, the exact wording is different for each plan:
An employee is entitled to payment of a short-term disability benefit if that employee proves that:
- the employee became totally disabled while covered
- the total disability has continued beyoned the elimintation period
- the employee has been following appropriate treatment for the disabling condition
An employee wil be considered totally disabled while the employee is continuously unable due to an illness to do the essentional duties of the employees own occupation in any setting.
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What Information Should I Provide
You must explain what happened in detail. You will need to provide:
We can help you prepare your complaint. Contact us by phone at 1 800 361-6477.
| All information you provide to the Commission is confidential.Only the people involved will be informed of the complaint. |
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What Forms Will You Use For Your Initial Ssd Application
When you file for Social Security Disability benefits, you will be required to fill out a variety of different forms. If you file in person or over the phone, these forms will be filled out for you, based on your responses to the questions asked. The forms for SSD benefits include:
- SSA-16-BKApplication for Disability Insurance Benefits
- SSA-3368-BKAdult Disability Report
- SSA-3369-BKWork History Report
- SSA-827-BKAuthorization to Disclose Information to the SSA
If you are filling out the forms yourself, ensure you are using a current version of each form . If completing the forms in person, make sure your writing is legible, and use blue or black ink only. It is important to note that Form SSA-827 gives the SSA the right to retrieve all your medical and educational records that can support or deny the validity of your claim.
This is a blanket authorization that helps examiners evaluate whether you are able to perform tasks related to your job, given your disability. If you file online, you will fill out the Work History Report and the Adult Disability Report as a part of your application. It is very important that you fill out all details about prior job duties, including to what extent you were required to perform physical duties, such as walking, standing, sitting, lifting, etc.
Your Doctor’s Detailed Opinion Of Your Impairments And Limitations Are Key In Your Social Security Disability Claim
By Melissa Linebaugh, Contributing Author
The Social Security Administration relies on doctor’s records and medical evidence to determine whether you are disabled. Although the SSA will request records from the list of providers you have given them, it is your responsibility to ensure that the agency has received all of your pertinent medical records, and that your doctor has provided the information in a helpful way. Submitting accurate and complete information from the doctor who treats you for your impairment is vital to winning your claim.
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When Is The 24
There are some cases in which you don’t have to wait a full 24 months before being enrolled in Medicare. If you:
- Receive disability benefits at least 4 months before you turn 65, you’ll be automatically enrolled in Part A and Part B on the first day of the month you turn 65. You don’t need to do anything to sign up.
- Please note, if you receive disability benefits for at least 4 months before turning 65, you’ll need to enroll in Part A and/or Part B when you turn 65.
Whether you age into Medicare or qualify due to a disability, you always apply through the Social Security Administration.
Are There Other Ways To Qualify For Disability
If the disability examiner cannot prove you meet qualifying criteria based on your medical recordsor you do not meet a Blue Book listingthey will look at your Residual Functional Capacity . There are several ways they can assess your RFC, including relying on information from your primary care provider or asking another doctor to complete an assessment based on their knowledge of your case and your medical records.
If this is the approach the SSA takes in your case, it will send a request to your doctor to complete an RFC assessment form. This form asks your doctor to provide detailed information about how your health conditionor combination of conditionsprevents you from working and earning a living.
Other ways the Office of Disability Determination Services can assess your RFC include:
- Having an agency doctor assess your abilities based on the information you submitted with your claim and the available medical evidence or
- Asking you to attend a consultative exam with a doctor to assess your remaining abilities and determine whether you can work.
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Who Is Completing This Application
As of October 2018, these options have changed. While I am helping someone who wants to apply and is with me is no longer an option, SSA continues to encourage advocates to assist individuals with the Online Disability Benefit Application. However, Online Disability Benefit Applicationmy Social Security accountmy Social Security account
Once the above steps are completed, and the applicant has created/signed into his/her my Social Security account,you can assist him/her through the disability benefit application process, including electronically signing the application.
What We Mean By Disability
The definition of disability under Social Security is different than other programs. Social Security pays only for total disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability.
We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if all of the following are true:
- You cannot do work that you did before because of your medical condition.
- You cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition.
- Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
This is a strict definition of disability. Social Security program rules assume that working families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term disabilities, including workers’ compensation, insurance, savings, and investments.
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How Long Will It Take
The SSA can take three to six months to determine if you meet their disability qualifications. At that time, they will notify you on whether youve been approved or if your application has been rejected.
If your application is rejected, dont lose hope. Many, if not most, disability applications are denied the first time. However, once an application is denied, you have a short window of time to file an appeal. You should consider hiring a lawyer who is experienced with disability claims.
In fact, you may want to contact one early in the process to help improve your odds of a quick approval. A lawyer is well versed with some of the most common causes of initial rejections and can help you take a proactive approach to filing for disability.
Cant The Ssa Pull My Medical Records After I Apply
If you give the SSA permission, they can collect medical records and other evidence from your healthcare providers. However, letting the SSA do this takes much longer. It can take months for hospitals, clinics or different doctors to respond. Then, each healthcare provider must transfer those records back to the SSA. Gathering the records you need yourself goes much faster.
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Contact An Experienced North Carolina Ssd Benefits Lawyer
The SSA maintains a list of impairments that are considered so severe that they automatically qualify one for disability benefits as long as all other requirements are met. These conditions are found in the SSAs Blue Book, which describes the medical evidence that is needed to prove the impairment.
You can also be declared disabled if you have a condition that is considered to be equal in severity to a listed impairment.
Even if you dont have a listed impairment or one considered equal in severity to a listed one, you may still be deemed to be disabled if you can show that your medical condition keeps you from working or doing any other type of work.
Allow Hardison & Cochran to put its skill and experience to work for you in seeking disability benefits. In particular, we can help you to gather the medical evidence you need to show you are disabled.
Contact us today and receive a free and immediate review of your case.
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Do You Need A Lawyer To Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits
The short answer is no youre not required to retain an attorney to assist you with your application for Social Security Disability. However, there are some good reasons you may want to consider working with an attorney from the beginning:
- An experienced Social Security Disability attorney will know exactly how to assemble your application and documentation to ensure that the process isnt held up by technical errors or omissions.
- Most initial applications for Social Security Disability benefits are denied, requiring the claimant to appeal before actually receiving benefits. An attorney who has worked with you from the initial application will be in the best position to assist you as the process becomes increasingly complicated.
- If youre adapting to a new or worsening medical condition that has rendered you unable to work, you dont need the added stress of managing the details of the application and appeals process. When you leave that in the hands of an experienced professional, you can focus on taking care of yourself and your family.
Perhaps the best reason to consider working with an experienced Social Security Disability attorney is this: statistics show that claimants who have legal representation at Social Security Disability appeals hearings are significantly more likely to be approved. Why not give yourself the best possible chance?
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Information About Your Medical Condition
- Name, address, and contact information of someone who knows your medical condition
- Information about your medical condition or injury, such as contact information and dates of treatment for all doctors, hospitals and clinics, names of medicines you’re taking, and names and dates of medical tests you’ve had, as well as who ordered them
- Information about your work
- How much you earned last year and this year
- Name and address of your employer
- Beginning and end dates of any active military duty
- Jobs you’ve had in the past 15 years
- Information about workers’ compensation or other benefits you filed
How Many Times Can You Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits
Unfortunately, obtaining SSD benefits can be a lengthy, often trying process. There may be more than one application for benefits, plus the appeals process has four levels that can take a significant amount of time. While this can all seem very disheartening, when your physical or mental limitations prevent you from earning a living, it is important not to give up on the process. Once you are approved for SSD benefits, those benefits will be backdated to the time of your initial application, so you will have an initial lump sum, along with your monthly disability payments.
There is no limit on the number of times you can apply for Social Security Disability benefits, however, it is almost always a better idea to go through the appeal process rather than submitting a new application. Often, the submission of a new application can be a waste of your time and effort consulting a disability attorney to help you with the appeal process can be another step. If you do decide to reapply after a denial of your initial SSD application, timing is everything. Disability examiners who review SSD applications are required to follow very strict guidelines, therefore, if nothing has changed regarding your claim since the last time you filed, your chances of receiving another denial are significant.
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When You Start Your Disability Application Online It Notifies Us Automatically Of Your Intent To File
If you start filling out a claim form online for disability benefits, this will reserve a potential start date for your benefits. You dont need to call us or submit a separate intent to file form.
Note: This automatic intent to file only applies to online disability applications. It doesnt apply to online pension or DIC applications.
I Havent Seen A Doctor Lately/cannot Afford Treatment What Now
If you havent seen a doctor recently because you cant afford it or dont have transportation, dont give up! You may qualify for a good cause appeal. If you dont have medical records for a very good reason, you may still get disability benefits. And if the SSA already denied your claim, you may still win during reconsideration or at your appeals hearing. Some reasons why you might get benefits for good cause include:
Other good cause reasons the SSA may accept for missing medical records include:
- Fire or other accidental cause either destroyed or damaged all your records
- A serious illness or injury kept you from submitting records in a timely manner before the SSAs deadline passed
- You were unable to contact the SSA due to death or serious illness in your immediate family
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How Do Canadians Qualify For The Disability Tax Credit Program
There are two different levels considered when qualifying for the DTC: the first being disabled, meaning that you cannot perform basic activities in your daily life, the second is slowed, meaning you take a significant amount of time to perform basic activities in your everyday life. Both disabled and slowed individuals can qualify for DTC, and both will receive the same level of benefits.
Many who consider themselves slowed never look into the DTC due to the perception that the benefit is only for those who are severely disabled. However, this is a misconception. Those who are slowed due to their impairments can also apply for DTC. For example, conditions like arthritis may cause a person to perform day-to-day tasks slower than others, making them eligible for DTC.
While the DTC provides more significant tax equity as well as assistance with disability costs that one may face, it does not in any way formally designate or label a person as disabled. The DTC was created to help impaired people that can still work and those who are too disabled to continue to work.