 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 |
Who Do You Call Or Contact For Your Social Security Disability Status or SSI Update?How to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits Waiting for a medical decision can be a very trying time, especially since most of the millions of Americans who file for disability with SSA (social security administration) have not been able to work in months or even years, the result being great financial stress, even to the point of total insolvency. It is only natural for disability applicants to be anxious about their disability claims as their lives are often hanging in the balance. However, staying up-to-date on a case goes beyond simply satisfying one's curiosity. There are numerous instances in which a claim had not been transferred from a field office where it had been taken to a claim processign agency (known as DDS, or disability determination services). In instances like that, cases have sat for many weeks with no processing, i.e. no work being done on them. In other cases, claimants have been sent notices of denial but have not received them; in other words, the claimant did not even learn that they had been denied until they had, at some point, inquired into the status of their case. Obviously, it is often to a claimant's distinct benefit to call for the status on their disability claim. If your initial disability claim or your reconsideration appeal is pending and you have not heard from SSA in over three months time, you may find it prudent ask for a status update. There are actually two agencies that could give you a status update on your Social Security Disability claim or SSI claim (if your claim is "concurrent", you may have both claims pending). The most obvious choice for a disability status check is the Social Security Administration, meaning that you can either call the local Social Security office, visit that office, or you can call the toll free Social Security number. However, speaking as a former disability examiner and as someone who has been involved in the representation of disability claims, I can quite easily state that contacting the toll free line is usually a bad idea. There are very few disability representatives (attorneys and advocates) and even field office employees of the social security administration who are not aware of the fact that the toll free line routinely gives out incorrect information. Calling the toll free line, therefore, is not advised. On the other hand, while contacting a local social security office for other matters is often the best route to take, when it comes to getting the status on a pending disability claim, it is usually not productive. This is because, while the social security office is where claims are filed, it is not where they are actively worked. Claims are processed at DDS (disability determination services). DDS, of course, is the agency that is responsible for making medical determinations on SSD and SSI claims and it is where such cases are assigned to disability examiners. Calling the examiner who is assigned to your pending disability application or reconsideration appeal is usually the most effective means of getting an accurate status of your claim. The examiner can tell you if the claim is still active with no decision made yet, if a decision has been made yet (if so, however, they cannot tell you over the phone what the decision is: you must wait for official notification by mail). Additionally, the examiner can advise you as to what information is still needed to process the claim, such as medical records from a certain medical provider. While on the phone, the examiner can gather additional information regarding your daily activities, your work history, or your medical history. How do you get in touch with a disability examiner? The number for DDS (in some states, the agency is not known as disability determination services, but, intead, as the bureau of disability determination, or the divison of disability determination; however, regardless of the actual name that is used, the agency is the same) can be gotten from the local social security office. After calling the DDS number, the caller will be asked for their social security number which will be used to locate their case in the computer system and then put them in touch with the disability examiner who has been assigned to their case. Lastly, if your disability claim is at the hearings office (meaning that you have already gone through the disability application phase and the reconsideration phase and you have already submitted a formal request for hearing before an administrative law judge), you can do one of the following: A) You can contact the social security office to get the status of your hearing request. Once again, this will not be productive since the local social security office will not know what is happening at the hearing office. The most that they will be able to tell you is that the hearing has not been scheduled yet (something you already knew, of course). B) You can contact the hearing office. The number for the hearing office can be obtained from the social security office. What will the hearing office be able to tell you? If the hearing is not scheduled yet, the most they will be able to tell you is whether or not the case has been assigned to a particular ALJ (administrative law judge) and perhaps whether or not the file has gone through work-up for the hearing and is now available on disc for reviewing. C) You can have your representative, if you have one (a disability attorney or a non-attorney claimant's representative) call the hearing office for you. And, in fact, this is something a representative would ordinarily do periodically to simply check on the case. 
Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page Topics and Questions 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 |