SSDRC

Filing an Application for Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability List of Impairments

Social Security Disability and SSI Back pay

Social Security Disability Status

SSI Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability and SSI Requirements

Social Security, SSI, and Mental Disability

How Long Does It Take To Get Disability Benefits?

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

Filing for Social Security disability- what to bring when you apply

If you have made the decision to file for Social Security disability benefits and you have an appointment to apply with SSA (Social Security Administration), that brings you to an important question: What should you do to prepare for your disability interview and what should you bring?

Work and Medical Information

You should be prepared to give the Social Security claims representative (the CR is the person at the social security office who will do the intake for your claim and then, afterwards, send the claim to a disability examiner so that a decision can be made) information about your treating medical sources such as clinics, hospitals, and your family or attending physician. The claims representative will need the names of your treating physicians, addresses, and phone numbers if possible, as well as your dates of treatment, medications, and testing. Tip: It might be advisable to write this information down prior to your disability interview so you will be prepared to provide the information to Social Security.

Additionally, you will need to inform Social Security about the types of work that you performed in the fifteen years prior to your disability. You may wonder what work has to do with Social Security disability, other than the fact that you must not be able to work.

Social Security disability examiners must evaluate all of your past work and your potential to do other kinds of work considering your functional limitations, age, education and the transferability of your work skills. Social Security uses a five step sequential evaluation process in which step four and five are evaluations of past work or ability to perform any other kinds of work. If the Social Security examiner determines you are able to perform any of your past work or other kinds of work, you will be denied disability benefits.

Marriages, Children, and Military Service

In addition to all of the medical and work information, Social Security will need information about your marriages, children, income, resources, and military service dates to process non-medical requirement issues that are involved in the disability claims process.

You should be prepared to provide Social Security at the time of your disability interview with the name of your spouse, the date you were married, and the date of your divorce if applicable. With regard to marriages and divorces, it is helpful if you bring in marriage certificates and divorce decrees for your marriages. They ask for this information to evaluate your potential entitlement to other benefits such as spousal or widow/er benefits.

You should also be prepared to at least provide the names and dates of birth for all of your minor-age children, as well as adult disabled children if this applies. Why is this important? Children sometimes are able to receive some benefits on your record if they are minors (under age 19) or if they are adult disabled children (children who were disabled prior to the age of 22).

If you have military service, you should be able to give your dates of service, your branch of service, and your rank at your discharge. It is most helpful if you can provide your DD214 discharge paper. There are times that military service increases the amount of Social Security Disability that you can be paid.

Income and Resource (assets) Information

Income and resource information is needed primarily if you are filing for Supplemental Security Income disability a.k.a. SSI disability. Having said that, Social Security disability needs information about Workman’s Compensation and Public disability programs because workman’s compensation and public disability program benefits may offset Social Security disability benefits. You should bring in any paperwork you have that involves any of these programs when you come for your disability interview. If you do not have paperwork, you should be able to provide verbal information about your workers compensation or public disability benefits.

SSI Disability requires the claims representative to evaluate your income and resources because they are factors of eligibility for this needs based disability program. Resources evaluated during a SSI eligibility determination might include: vehicles, stocks, bonds, antiques, 401ks, bank accounts, land, and homes.

SSI allows the exclusion of one vehicle and the home and land you live on. However, any other vehicles, homes, or land will be counted against the resource limit. At this time, the resource limit for an individual is $2000.00 and it is $3000.00 for a couple. The resource limit could change any time Social Security determines that a change is needed.

Income evaluated during a SSI eligibility interview might include: Pensions, VA benefits, Workman’s compensation benefits, wages, money given by friends, family members, churches, child support, etc. The evaluation for income is not quite as clear-cut as the resource evaluation because family composition is taken into account.