Applying for and Getting Social Security Disability Benefits

The process of applying for and getting Social Security Disability is very long and convoluted; hopefully, this article will shed some light on the things one can do to smooth out the process and what to expect along the way.

Once you have become disabled, do two things immediately,

Consult a competent disability attorney.

Start the application process with the Social Security Administration. This link will take you directly to the Social Security website where you can find out more about applying online and the guidelines for disability.

Once you have started the process, the SSA will do two things, they will send you paperwork to be filled out and signed so that they may obtain medical records. It would be helpful here if you compiled a list of every doctor, hospital, clinic etc you have been to in the past 2 years. The more accurate information you can give them at this step the better it will be when they request the records for review later in the process.

Secondly, they will schedule a phone interview with you to ask some general questions about your working years, family etc. They will be able to tell you at this stage approximately how much disability you could receive each month if approved and also in you qualify for Social Security Supplemental Income. The amount you may receive depends on factors such as family size, years worked, overall wages etc.

The SSA will also send paperwork to be completed that concerns your disability directly and how it affects your everyday life. They ask numerous questions concerning ability to work, mobility, daily living, personal care etc. Answer them in as much specific detail as possible because this is one of the main documents that the examiners will review when deciding your case, so the more that you can tell them about how it affects your life the better. Your attorney can guide you in completing this paperwork.

Once all the paperwork is completed it will be sent, in most states, to the state disability determination bureau. The SAA has contracts with most states so that the state examiners review the first step of the application process for the SSA.

This review can take as much as 6 - 9 months. There is really nothing you can do at this stage other than gather any new medical records you may have and keep in contact with your attorney as he may advise you to make regular visits to your physician so that current documentation of your disability will be available for the second stage of the process.

I should point out one thing here, over 85% of all disability applicants fail at this stage, so do not get discouraged when you are not approved. It would be much better going into this stage expecting not to be approved. The SSA does this to weed out those who really do not qualify for disability or even need it. The SSA's theory is, if the applicant is really disabled, they will be persistent and continue the process.

The second stage of the process is where a good disability attorney will be of great help.

This stage is called the reconsideration stage. Your attorney will file an appeal with the SSA requesting a reconsideration of your case based on certain facts. This is where the new medical documentation can be submitted to help your case. This stage generally takes about 3 months for the reconsideration.

The sad fact is you are just as likely to get turned down at this stage as you were at the first stage.

Once you have received the reconsideration denial from the SSA, consult with your attorney about the third stage of the process, the Administrative Hearing.

This process is by far the longest of the three, but the good news is that more than 85% of the cases get approved at this stage. So hang in there!!

Your attorney will file the paperwork with the SSA requesting an Administrative Hearing before the Administrative Law Judge.

Once the SSA receives your request, it can be anywhere from 9 months to 12 months before getting the actual hearing. This depends upon which state you live in and how many Administrative Law Judges hear the cases.

I know in my particular case, in Indiana, they have 3 judges that hear the cases for Indiana and some of the surrounding states so it can take many, many months to get to the actual hearing.

Once the hearing is scheduled, the SSA will send you and your attorney a notice of hearing, 20 days prior to the date of the hearing. Your attorney will then consult with you on how the hearings work, what questions the judges may ask, what questions he/she may ask you etc.

The hearing can be a scary thing, but your attorney will guide you and the judges understand your feelings so just answer all questions to the best of your ability.

Once your case has been approved, the Administrative Law Judge can issue a ruling for immediate payments. You will receive a lump sum payment from the SSA that covers from the sixth month after you first applied to the current month, the SSA has a 6 month waiting period before disability payments can begin even in the cases that get approved in the first stage.

After the lump sum payment you will receive monthly checks.

As you can see, the process for getting SSA disability is indeed long and tedious, but having a good attorney and being prepared for each stage can go along way in smoothing out the process an easing your fears.

This article is just an outline of the process of applying and the pitfalls one may encounter along the way, but hopefully one can gain some insight into the process an know what to expect.

K.D. Wiseman is the owner of DMJ Enterprises and creator of the Best Of The Home and DMJ Enterprises websites. Best Of The Home and DMJ Enterprises are popular home and garden websites featuring products for every corner of your home and garden including Quality Indoor and Outdoor Furniture, Children's toys, gardening supplies, Plush Pelts and more. Please visit both sites for your entire home, garden and family needs.

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Bipolar Disorder - 13 Items Vital to Getting Your Bipolar Social Security Disability Claim Approved

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you should know that Social Security disability benefits may be available to help ease some of the financial strain you may be experiencing.

You should also know that the average approval rate for Social Security disability claims is only 25% - 30%. Those sure don't seem like very encouraging numbers.

Particularly since bipolar disorder is such a serious mental illness that, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, affects close to 5.7 million people yearly in the United States alone.

Avoid the #1 Reason Others Fall Into the Denied Category

The number one reason so many disability claims are denied is actually very simple and completely avoidable.

It's basically because most claims don't have all the critical or even the correct pieces of information necessary to complete the application right from the get go - especially the precise medical information.

13 Pieces of Information Crucial to Your Bipolar Disorder Disability Claim

In order to avoid making the same mistake nearly 70% of those applying for Social Security benefits do, here's a list of 13 of the most crucial pieces of information you should have at your fingertips for your first application interview:

1. Complete names, addresses, and phone numbers of all your doctors, hospitals you may have been admitted to, or medical clinics

2. Dates you were seen at any of those facilities, and all your patient I.D. numbers

3. Names of any medications you're taking

4. Any medical records you personally possess

5. An original or certified copy of your birth certificate

6. If you were born outside the U.S, you'll need proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency

7. If you were in the military, your original or certified copy of your discharge papers

8. Your W-2 forms or your federal income tax return

9. Any workers' compensation information such as date of injury, claim number, and proof of payments

10. The social security numbers of your spouse and your minor children

11. Your bank information such as checking and savings account numbers

12. A list of all the jobs you've had in the past 15 years before you got sick

13. The name of a contact person in case you can't be reached

That might seem like an overwhelming amount of information to gather just to get your Social Security disability claim started. But miss any part of the 13 items listed above and you're definitely looking at an immediately denied claim.

Why take that risk when just a little effort on your part, or perhaps with the help of a family member or friend, you could begin a winning claim for the bipolar disability benefits you deserve.

Albeit probably the single most important step involved in the process of filing a claim with the Social Security office for your bipolar disability, it certainly isn't the only step.

Valuable on-line resources are readily available to help you complete the process of filing a winning bipolar disorder disability claim.

For a simple, step-by-step toolkit and guide that takes you from filing your initial disability claim to receiving your first benefit check, you'll want to explore the all the information on this website: http://www.bipolardisabilityguide.com

You're also invited to subscribe to a free mini-course full of valuable tips and advice for building a winning bipolar disorder disability claim at this site too.

Your Medical Story Is Key to Getting Social Security Disability Benefits

To say that you have a medical disability that has kept you from working is not enough of a reason to be eligible for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits. You must prove it. Your medical history is critical to your Social Security disability claim. To build a strong case you must get accurate medical reports from all your doctors and other treatment sources. This information is what the Social Security Administration (SSA) will scrutinize in order to make absolutely certain that you are unable to work at a job to earn income and that your physical and/or mental condition is deemed a medical disability that qualifies you for benefits. Unless you clearly have a condition that meets SSA's definition of disability, you will have to make absolutely sure that the medical history you collect from your physicians is complete and that all information they provide to support your claim is, in fact, supportive.

Watch for Inaccurate Medical Documentation How you interact with your doctors about your condition is very important if you are in the process of documenting your medical disability to SSA. For example, if you are following your doctor's recommendations to minimize physical activities that could worsen your condition, that is what you should do. But if you tell your doctor that you are feeling better and your doctor writes that down in your medical file and then duplicates this information on the medical forms that are required for your case, that statement could mislead SSA to incorrectly interpret your condition as not severe enough to prohibit you from working at a job. Be careful that you do not minimize your symptoms when interacting with your doctor. Something as seemingly minor as saying "I'm better" when you actually mean, "I am doing what you told me to do," could affect the accuracy of how your doctor documents your symptoms.

Quick Tips for the Doctor's Office

Remind your doctor that you are applying for Social Security disability benefits.
Be factual about how you describe your symptoms to your doctor.
Keep a journal about your condition to remind yourself of what to tell your doctor at appointments.
Tell the doctor to expect that SSA will be requesting your medical records.
If you go to a new doctor be sure to explain how your condition impacts your daily activities.

Be Sure Your Medical History is Current It can take many months for SSA to make a decision on your Social Security disability case. If anything changes in your medical history, be sure that SSA has received updated information from your doctors. Any new evidence you provide will help you get the favorable decision you want from SSA about your medical disability.

Suzanna is an expert author on the subject of Social Security Disability and is employed with Freedom Disability in Shelton, Connecticut. Suzanna writes about information and educational resources on all topics regarding Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

Getting Your Social Security Disability Benefits - What You Need to Know

The Social Security Act was enacted by Congress, and signed into law seventy-five years ago, in 1935, by President Franklin Roosevelt. The Act was created to assist the individuals during challenging economic times very similar to today. During the past seventy-five years, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, has helped many millions of people, by offering essential aid. In 2010 alone, more than 10 million citizens will get some type of assistance from the SSA.

One of the main pillars of the system is to offer some amount of economic security to elderly and retired people by way of a fund where employees fund their individual retirements. Another critical facet of the law is to supply a source of financial aid to individuals that are either temporarily or permanently unable to work.

Though it is not anything which people typically think of or plan for, the possibility of becoming disabled at some place in your lifetime is great. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), a 20 year old person has a greater than 25% chance of becoming impaired before he or she reaches retirement age.

Applying for SSD

Recent media reports have stated that more than three million citizens will apply for Social Security disability benefits this year. Over 2/3 of those claims will be refused on first consideration. With the proper representation for their claim, many people who have been initially denied will prevail with their claim and get their benefits at one of the following levels of the claims process. The length of time it takes to receive benefits can vary, and in many, many cases it can take up to 24 months to process an application.

Processing the initial application can take a significant amount of time. Up-to-date estimates by the Social Security Administration make note that it takes three to five months to even process the initial application. This, coupled with the time it takes to appeal an adverse conclusion, is a good cause for an individual to file an application as soon as you are determined to be disabled.

Determining Benefit Eligibility

Once your application is processed and the Social Security Administration finds that it meets the primary criteria to get benefits, the application is then forwarded to a state agency which will find whether the benefits should be granted. Usually, claimants will begin to receive payments after they have been impaired for more than five full months. In order to be qualified for disability payments an applicant must show that their disability is one will last for a time period of more than twelve continuous months. Furthermore, one must prove that they are unable to perform any type of gainful employment, even work which is sedentary.

The Five Step Analysis

To determine if somebody is impaired and eligible for Social Security disability benefits, the Social Security Administration employs a 5 step analysis. These 5 questions help decide the amount and type of social security benefits you will receive.

Are you presently working at a job? If you are employed and reach a certain earning level or greater every month, the state agency in all likelihood will find that you are not disabled. If you are unable to work, or your income is under the threshold, the government agency will look further into your physical issue.
Is your medical condition serious? In order for your medical condition to be found to be severe it must last for a least 12 months, and limit your physical ability to accomplish typical employment activities.
Can your medical condition be found on the scheduled list of health conditions? There are some medical disabilities that are severe enough to automatically qualify you for SSD benefits. These disabilities are set forth on a scheduled list of conditions provided by the SSA. If your condition is not on this list, the governmental agency will decide if your disability is as serious as one of the listed impairments.
Can you perform the type of jobs which you have executed in the past? In the event that you are able to execute the work you did previously, in all probability you will not be eligible for SSD benefits. If you are not able to execute those tasks, the fact finder will check the final question in the disability process.
Are you able to do any work? If you are not able to perform any of your previous jobs, the agency will the check to decide if you can perform any kind of work. Your health condition, age, education level, prior work experience and any other applicable job skills will be taken into account during this process.

Can I Appeal a Denial of Benefits?

Reconsideration, sometimes referred to as an appeal, is the next step in the claims process. Your petition will be reviewed by a fact finder who was not involved the first decision. If your appeal is once again denied, you can then appeal this decision and request a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). You will once again have the chance to put forth your case as well as present other information, evidence and the appropriate witnesses, which may include medical and/or vocational experts, to help your claim. If you are once again denied Social Security benefits, you may request one more review by the SSA Appeals Council and eventually appeal to the Federal Court if need be.

In order to move your case efficiently, it makes the most sense to find a lawyer at the beginning of the application process, to help ensure that you have fully completed your application with the appropriate information. This will reduce that chance that your claim will be refused. Since most applications are denied at the initial stage, an experienced attorney will be essential to help move your application through the reconsideration and hearing stages.

Please visit our Ohio Social Security Attorney website for a no fee discussion regrading your Social Security claim. Feel free to email, call or fill out our contact form, and an experienced Ohio Social Security Attorney will reply to you within twenty-four hours.