Tips for Filing for Social Security Disability:
- Start the process sooner than later. Your case will be decided on its merit not on the amount of money you have in your bank account. The process to file and receive Social Security disability benefits can take a very long time. The first application process can take more than a year. Many cases need to be appealed before any money is paid out. Do not wait until you are almost out of money to seek out help from disability attorneys or file your claim.
- Keep detailed records of everything related to your disability. Some people say they keep a journal to keep track of their medical appointments, tests and procedures. You should keep track, too, of how you feel. You may think you will never forget certain things such as how much an injury hurts or how helpless it makes you feel but you will. Keep a record of your medications, your diagnoses, whatever expenses you incur. If you have to take a taxi or Uber car to your appointments, get receipts. You will need to show how you have been hurt and how this has impacted your life. The more paperwork you have to show what your ordeal has been like, the better your chances will be. Your notes should include the stress the situation causes you. This is not the time to downplay your injuries or the negative impact they have on your life. If you are not able to do things that you really like doing, note that.
- Find a good disability lawyer. The Social Security Administration has a very specific set of rules and criteria they use to evaluate all of the disability claims they process. While it is, in theory, supposed to be objective, people have to interpret the rules and criteria and may not always ben as impartial as they could be. It is critical that you have someone on your side who knows the rules, the process and can help you navigate the terrain that is this process. You have enough on your plate to worry about as you try to get better. Talk to a few disability attorneys to get a sense of who would be the best to help you with your case.Law firms allow a free first consultation. Take advantage of that to get the person who will be the best at arguing your case.
- Talk to your doctor about your case. The information they can provide can be very helpful in proving your disability has prevented you from returning to work and offer other supporting documentation. If they can show how different you are after your injury than you were before, that is great. If not, they can still give detailed information about the extent and nature of your injuries.
- Try not to get discouraged. As many as 60% of cases are initially denied. This does not mean that these cases were all worthless. Disability lawyers will tell you that many people are denied for reasons that have nothing to do with the merits of their cases. If your claim is denied early on, do not throw in the towel. Many people who file a disability claim are denied but when they persevere you will wind up succeeding.
Many people are injured at work. The average time away from the workplace after such an injury is about a month. If you have been disabled at work, you need to seek out advice from disability attorneys who can evaluate and help you file a successful claim to get the benefits have earned and that you deserve.