How To Apply For And Get Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits

How do you apply for disability benefits with the social security administration?

Just call your local social security office and tell them you need to file for social security disability. They'll give you an appointment to make an application. It's that easy. In fact, you can even apply for disability online. This makes filing social security disability forms very convenient. Or, if you don't like the idea of using a computer, you can apply over the phone with a social security claims representative (a claims representative works for ssa, whereas a claimant's representative represents disability cases and may be an attorney or non attorney representative. (See also where to apply for Social Security Disability).

That's basically how to apply for social security disability benefits. How you should apply is something else.

Medical Records. Medical Records. Medical Records.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Most of the time spent waiting for a decision on a disability claim is due to this fact: social security not having the necessary medical records.

Records, of course, have to be ordered, and the wait to receive them can be very long. Therefore, if you can, include your records with your application when you file your claim. Most doctors and hospitals will release records to patients a lot faster than they will to the Social Security Administration.

Simply put, if you have to apply for disability, do what you can to expedite your case.

Information on Your Application

In addition to submitting medical records when you file, make sure, when you fill out your disability application, to include the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all your medical treatment sources. Not only should you provide the name of each facility or practice, but the name of each doctor who gave you treatment should be noted as well.

Make the Claims Examiners Job as Easy as Possible

Doing things like this can get your case off to a good running start. And if you're wondering why that's true, consider this fact: many social security claims examiners have between a hundred and two hundred cases on their desks, with new cases arriving every day. The ones they choose to work on first are generally the ones that look the easiest to work on. Of course, the easiest cases are often those that have a claimant's medical records attached, especially if this includes the most recent treatment notes.