How do I File and Apply for Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits?

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

Should you file for disability benefits with the social security administration? The short answer is simply that if you have medical and/or mental conditions that have prevented you from working or have caused you to stop working or reduce your time on the job such that your earnings have dropped considerably, you should contact the Social Security Administration and file for Social Security disability.

Can you apply for disability while you are still working full-time? Yes and no. You can contact SSA and initiate a claim if you are working full-time; however, no medical processing will occur on your case. Instead, you will be issued an informal or "technical" denial that will be based on the fact that you are currently employed.

After you contact a local social security office, the Social Security administration will set up a disability appointment for you to file your social security disability claim.

What will you need to bring to the disability interview? You should be prepared to give Social Security the names of your physicians, dates of treatment, and any medications that you are taking.

Additionally, you will need to provide a work history, which includes the types of jobs that you have done in the past fifteen years as well as the dates that you performed each type of job.

Once you have completed your Social Security interview, your claim will be sent to the state agency responsible for Social Security medical decisions. At this agency, your claim will be reviewed by a disability examiner who will evaluate your medical records. Typically, a decision will be made within 3-4 months on your claim and, statistically, you will stand a thirty percent chance of being approved.

Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page

Individual Questions and Answers

Winning Social Security Disability Benefits For Mental Disorders

Will I be approved for disability on my appeal ?

When Are You Allowed To Ask For A Social Security Disability Hearing?

How do Social Security Disability and SSI appeals work ?

The SSD, Social Security Disability Date of Application

If You File For Social Security Disability How Far Back Will They Look At Your Medical Records?

Applying for disability benefits in New York

Can a Congressional Inquiry Really Help Your Disability Case?

What Will a Disability Lawyer Do to Win a Social Security Case?

How Long Does Your Attorney Have To File Your Social Security Disability Appeal?

How do you appeal your denial for disability?

Will you be notified if you receive an Approval for Social Security Disability or SSI

The Social Security Disability Medical Review

How many Social Security Disability appeals do you get ?

The Social Security Disability Decision and Your Ability to Work

Being Determined Medically Disabled for Social Security Disability

Do You Get Disability Benefits From The First Time You Applied?

What makes you disabled for SSD, Social Security Disability Benefits, OR SSI?

Disability Hearings and the Social Security Appeals Process

How do I see a judge for my social security disability case or SSI Claim?

Is there a time limit for how long you can collect Social Security Disability or SSI benefits?

Mental Disability Benefits and What Social Security will Consider

Is Bipolar Disorder a disability according to Social Security?

Glaucoma, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

Filing for SSI Disability

What are the Odds or Chances of Being Approved for Disability?

Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Colorado

Social Security Disability Medical Evaluation Form, Can A Doctor Be Forced to Complete One?

How Does Social Security Decide If You Are Disabled Or Not?

SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials