WHEN FILING A DISABILITY APPLICATION, LIST ALL CONDITIONS

Always list every one of your medical conditions, physical or mental, when you file for disability

Tip 5:

Disability cases are almost never won on the basis of one single condition. They are usually won on the basis of several conditions which most people usually have when they apply for disability.

Are you required to have several conditions in order to win disability benefits? No; however the way you win disability benefits is to establish as many physical or mental limitations as possible so that, under the Social Security administration definition of disability, it can be shown that A) you do not have the capability to either go back to work you did in the past and B) you do not have the ability to perform some type of other work.

Other work is work that you might ordinarily be able to switch to based on your age, your work skills, your education, and your current level of residual functional capacity (residual functional capacity is what you can still do mentally and physically even with your overall condition).

The more physical or mental limitations you have, the more likely it will be that it can be proven that you no longer have the ability to engage in work activity. And, of course, the more physical or mental impairments that are listed on the disability application, the easier it will be to show a wider range of physical or mental limitations.

It is for this very reason that individuals who file for disability are advised to list every single one of their conditions at the time of their application. Leaving just one of your conditions from your disability application could make the difference between winning or losing a claim. This could be the case even for a condition that you have, but that you do not think actually makes you disabled.

For example, it is often the case that an individual is approved for disability, but not for the condition that they thought would actually get them awarded disability benefits, such as filing for arthritis but actually being awarded for a mood disorder.

And, of course, in many cases it is not simply one medical condition that will result in a case being awarded for benefits, but, rather, the limitations that result from two or more conditions, for example degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and depression.

Terms discussed:

What does the social security administration definition of disability actually say?

Social Security Disability, SSI, Mental Disorders, and Functional Limitations

Will Social Security Decide That I can go Back to My Old Job?