SSDRC

Filing an Application for Disability Benefits

How do you win disability benefits?

If I am determined disabled, how far back will Social Security pay benefits?

How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition?

What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits

Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of benefits

How to File for Disability - Tips for Filing

If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare?

How much is paid for the Social Security Disability Attorney Fee?

Social Security Disability SSI Criteria and the Evaluation Process

How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability?

Qualifying: What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability?

Applying for disability for Fibromyalgia

Filing for disability with Degenerative Disc Disease

Can I Qualify For Disability on the basis of Depression?

Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability

What Disabilities Qualify for SSI and Social Security Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability Status

Social Security Disability Advice for Filing

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

It is well known that the wait for disability benefits can be a long one. It takes on average three to four months after filing a claim to receive a decision from the state disability determination agency, and if your claim is denied upon initial review (the vast majority are) then the reconsideration appeal and, if necessary, disability hearing can take additional months, or even years (the backlog of disability cases waiting to be heard before an administrative judge is considerable in all areas of the country).

The ideal situation, then, is for a claimant to have their disability application approved quickly by the disability examiner at the first level of consideration, the state disability determination agency. This is indeed a rare occurrence, but it does happen, and at any rate you can help speed up the process if you follow this advice for filing for social security disability benefits:

1. Seek medical treatment for your condition as soon as possible. The idea is to make sure that you can provide documentation from a qualified physician that demonstrates you are a) currently suffering from a medical condition that is inhibiting or preventing you from working and b) that this condition is ongoing rather than temporary, and is likely to prevent you from working in the future.

2. Make sure that the physician from whom you are receiving treatment is willing to help you document your condition when you apply for disability benefits. This means letting your doctor know up front that you plan to file for disability, and asking if he or she would be willing to fill out a residual functional capacity (RFC) statement for you in support of your claim.

It is important to get an idea beforehand if your physician is willing to be involved in a disability case—some doctors are unsympathetic toward disability patients in general, and others do not want to spend the extra time involved in providing a disability examiner with the necessary paperwork. If you get the feeling that your physician is not willing to help you make your case, or is in any way skeptical that your condition is truly disabling, find a new doctor.

All disability benefits are awarded based on information found in medical reports, and without this documentation your case will certainly be delayed, and, in all likelihood, denied.

3. Provide a detailed, organized, medical and work history. This is by far the most time-consuming part of the disability process for the claimant, but it makes all the difference in the world in how quickly a claim is decided. Don’t expect that vague dates, lack of addresses, names, etc., is something that will be acceptable or that the disability examiner will fill in these blanks for you.

At some point you will have to come up with the correct information, so do it sooner rather than later. One thing all disability cases that are approved early in the process have in common is that they have plenty of verifiable medical evidence to back them up.