Dr. Fink of The Bipolar Blog has compiled a great list of suggestions for when you filing for disability benefits.

• Consult your doctor and therapist
• Keep your doctor appointments
• Have your doctor complete an RFC form for you
• Document everything
• File immediately
• Appeal
• Keep copies

This is just a summary, the article goes into quite a bit of detail about each point.

I do not agree with every point. For example, the article says the following about when to contact an attorney:

Most disability attorneys won’t even talk to you until you’ve filed a claim and been denied, so don’t waste your time consulting an attorney until you have filed and been denied. Of course, there is a chance that you will file and be approved, in which case, you’ve saved yourself the attorney fees!

Most attorneys will not take a case unless it has been denied, but it is wrong to say that most attorneys will not talk to you until the case has been denied. There is a big difference is saying an attorney will not talk to you versus saying an attorney will not take your case.

I talk to people all the time about their Social Security cases. About a quarter to half the time, I cannot take their case (for one reason or another). But the caller gets to discuss their case, bounce some ideas off of me and get some free advice!

Sometimes I take a case before the denial, sometimes after. But it is never a waste of time to get some early input into your Social Security case