If you file for disability (either Social Security disability, SSI disability, or both), you'll want to report the following when you submit the disability report with your claim.
- Any trouble or difficulty you may have had in school. This can be general difficulty with school work, or even difficulty in certain subjects.
- Failed grades.
- Any special classes, remedial instruction, or special education instruction you may have received.
- The last grade you completed in school.
Are school records only relevant for child claimants? Not, it is not at all rare for a disability attorney to obtain records that are decades old (which can often be a challenge since such records are archived, and not all school systems are proficient at storing records). The attorney can use these school records to win disability benefits for an adult claimant.
Here is the reason why these pieces of information are important. (This is true whether you're filing a claim for physical disability or mental/emotional disability.) Among the various types of factors that the Social Security Administration takes into consideration when determining whether someone is eligible for disability is one's level of education. In some cases, a low level of education can actually mean that the applicant is granted benefits through a medical-vocational allowance. A med-voc allowance is given because Having a low level of education combined with being over 50 can mean that you aren't expected to learn a new job if you can't do your prior job. Learn more about medical-vocational allowances.
Secondly, one's academic history can be used to substantiate a claim that is based on a mental impairment, such as a learning problem, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline intellectual functioning, or mental retardation. School records can even help a case in which the chief impairments are psychological (depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety).
