SSDRC




What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI?

How do you Win Benefits under Social Security Disability or SSI?

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 Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits

How to File for Disability - Tips for Filing

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

How much does a Social Security disability attorney get paid?

Social Security Disability SSI Criteria and the Evaluation Process

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

What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability SSI and Fibromyalgia

Social Security Disability SSI and Degenerative Disc Disease

Can I Qualify For Disability and Receive Benefits based on 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 Tips — how a claim gets worked on

Social Security Disability, SSI Disability - Terms, Definitions, Concepts


The Social Security Disability Approval Process and the Criteria for Decisions


How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits


 
What follows is a short description of the disability approval process, which will hopefully help claimants or even potential claimants understand the process by which social security disability claims are approved.

1. After an application for disability benefits is made to social security, the case is transferred to the state agency responsible for making disability determinations. There, it is assigned to a disability examiner who will evaluate the claim.

2. The disability examiner sends requests for medical records to all physicians and medical facilities listed by the claimant on the disability application. After receiving them, the disability examiner will evaluate the records; however, it is important to note that it could take months to receive the requested records back from doctors, hospitals, or other medical professionals.

3. The examiner may refer to the social security impairment listing manual (known as the blue book and published by the social security administration under the title "Disability Evaluation under Social Security") to evaluate the claimant’s physical or mental condition. Impairments listed in the manual have strict disability criteria, and even being diagnosed with a listed condition will not necessarily result in approval if the medical records do not support the requirements of the listing.

4. In the majority of cases, a claimant will not be approved on the basis of meeting, or equaling, a "listing" in the manual (such as for depression, a specific form of cancer, or a condition of the spine). If it becomes obvious to the disability examiner that the obtained medical records do not support an approval on the basis of a listing, then the examiner will employ an evaluation method known as "sequential evaluation". Using this method will require that the disability examiner do the following:

A. The examiner will determine what the claimant's residual functional capacity is. RFC, or residual functional capacity is simply an assessment of what a person is still capable of doing. If the claimant has one or more physical impairments, then the examiner will determine a physical RFC. If the claimant has one or more mental impairments, then the examiner will determine a mental RFC. In many cases, of course, the examiner will determine both a physical and a mental RFC. Will the examiner do this with or without the input of medical and psychological consultants? In most cases, the examiner will be required to consult with either a physician or a psychologist who is part of his or her claim processing unit before the final RFC determination (or determinations) can be made.

B. After the claimant's residual functional capacity has been determined, the disability examiner will compare this rating (or ratings) to the requirements of the claimant's prior jobs. This will be done to determine if the claimant has the ability to go back to one of their former jobs. If it is decided that the claimant cannot go back to one of their former jobs, the examiner will investigate the possibility of the claimant switching to some type of other work (that the claimant has never done before). This will be based on the claimant's work skills, as well as their age, education, and residual functional capacity.

C. If it is determined that the claimant cannot do their past work, or do some type of other work, they will be approved for disability. If the claimant can do either their past work (any job they have held for an appreciable period of time in the last fifteen years) or some type of other work, then they will be denied on their claim for disability benefits.















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Individual Questions and Answers


  • The Qualification Criteria for Social Security Disability

  • Filing a Social Security Disability Application

  • Is getting social security disability easier for mental or physical problems?

  • Will SSD Be Based On Newer Or Older Medical Records?

  • How Long Does It Take For An Answer To Qualify For Social Security Disability or SSI?

  • Applying for disability benefits in Georgia

  • What does SSA consider a severe impairment for Social Security Disability or SSI Disability Benefits?

  • If You are Denied for Disability, What Should You do First?

  • Does The Social Security Disability Reconsideration Have A Time Limit?

  • What is the Chance of Winning an SSA appeal for disability?

  • Social security disability children benefits

  • To qualify for Social Security disability or SSI, how severe must a condition be?

  • List of Impairments for Social Security Disability and SSI Benefits

  • Has my Disability Claim Been Approved?

  • If you are applying for Social Security disability when does Medicare start ?

  • Who is eligible for SSI Disability?

  • If I get disability will my children receive benefits ?

  • ADHD, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

  • Social Security Disability Mental Testing

  • Can You qualify for Social Security disability or SSI on the basis of anxiety or panic attacks ?

  • Will I Qualify For SSI, How Do I Get Approved?

  • How does work qualify you for disability ?

  • Who qualifies to Claim Disability Benefits under the SSD or SSI program?

  • How much does Social Security pay in disability benefits ?

  • What conditions do they Award Disability Benefits for?

  • What makes you entitled to receive disability benefits under SSI or SSD?

  • To Win Benefits, You may have to Appeal a Social Security Disability Denial or SSI denial

  • Receiving a Notice of Denial on a Social Security Disability or SSI Case

  • If you receive a Social Security Disability Denial quickly does that mean the case is weak?

  • Fibromyalgia and disability

  • Working while on social security disability and not reporting

  • When is a Person Considered Fully Disabled by Social Security?

  • Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Washington

  • Can You Appeal A Decision By A Judge On A Social Security Disability or SSI Case?

  • How Long Will It Take For A Decision Letter For Social Security Disability?

  • Social Security Disability SSI and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
























    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