Social Security Disability Lawyer

2. Important Things to Remember When Filing for SSD

Keeping in mind that filing for Social Security Disability is not a common-sense process, there are some important things you need to remember when filing for SSD. These include:

• You must disclose all of your medical providers and their contact information on your application. If you leave out information about your medical history, SSA employees won’t go looking for it. They will simply deny your claim.
  
  
• You must disclose all of your medical conditions. The SSA will consider all of your medical conditions, individually and in combination, to determine if you are disabled. Due to the factors the SSA considers, you need to disclose all of your medical conditions, even if some of them seem irrelevant to your claim for benefits.
  
  
• The details matter. Regarding your work history (which is a critical component of your SSD application as well), you need to be as detailed as possible so that the SSA will be convinced of your eligibility for benefits. If you don’t say it, the SSA won’t know that you need to lift, bend, crawl, or physically exert yourself for extended periods of time.
  
  
• Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Social security adjudicators are not interested in the things you cannot do, but rather in the things that you can. If the things you can do are not sufficient to allow you to work, then you are considered legally disabled.

3. Documents Required to File for SSD

The key to securing Social Security Disability benefits is to provide the SSA with adequate documentation of your work history and limitations. In order to file an application, you will need to collect the following documents (among others):

• Birth certificate
  
  
• Most-recent W-2 and pay stub
  
  
• List of all medical providers that have treated your disability
  
  
• Copies of your medical record
  
  
• Fully completed Disability Benefits Application and Adult Disability Report

In order to apply for SSD, you must have a medical condition that prevents you from working for a minimum of 12 months. 

There are two ways to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. You can visit your local SSA office, or you can apply online at www.ssa.gov. 

In order to apply for disability, you have to stop working or in some cases reduce the number of hours and monthly take-home pay to apply for disability. In order to file an application social security indicates you are not able to work more than 15-20 hours and make less than $1,180.00. If you only qualify for SSI benefits this is a welfare based program and you are not allowed to work at all as this will a dollar-for-dollar offset. 

Yes. In fact, if you are receiving long-term disability benefits, you may be required to do your best to obtain social security sisability. In addition to representing individuals in applying for SSD, we assist with long-term disability claims as well, and we can make sure you do everything necessary to maximize your benefits. 

If you have been denied social security make sure that if you wish to file an appeal, that it is done in a timely manner. You only have 60 days from the date of the denial to file an appeal in time. Should you go past the 60 days you forfeit the right of that application and would have to start all over again. 

If the SSA has already denied your application, you have 60 days from the date of denial to file an appeal. While you can file a new application if your window for filing an appeal expires, filing a successful appeal can be much quicker than filing a new application from scratch.

If you are eligible for SSD and you submit a complete and accurate application, you can expect to receive a decision in four to eight months. If your application is denied, you can expect to wait for another two to five months during the first level of appeal. If your initial appeal is unsuccessful, you can appeal again, but the current wait time at this level is 24 to 26 months. 

In order to qualify for SSD, your doctor needs to be on board. You need to have your doctors supporting your decision to file for disability. Social security bases their decision strictly on the medical records and the limitations from their records. Make sure you tell your doctors about every condition that you are suffering from.