To quote an old lottery slogan, “you can’t win, if you don’t play.” It may seem obvious, but you cannot receive Social Security disability benefits if you do not apply.
If fact, many Social Security regulations about Social Security eligibility start with this simple requirement:
Step 1: You apply.
As I have written about before, Social Security uses the [...]
Posts under ‘1 Applying’
You can’t get Social Security disabilty benefits if you do not apply
15 pages decides your fate?
San Francisco disability attorney Geri Kahn wrote about her experiences with providing records to Social Security:
Before filing a new initial claim I always order the records and then submit them directly to the Social Security field office immediately after I have filed the claim electronically. I recently was at an interview in one of the [...]
How long does it take to get a decision in a Social Security disability case?
How long after you complete your application for Social Security disability benefits (or Supplemental Security Income – SSI benefits), does it take to get a decision?
In Colorado where I practice, it usually takes between four and six months after you apply to get the initial decision. Sometimes, Social Security will describe this as between 120 [...]
Save yourself a trip to Social Security – Use SSA Online!
Before you put yourself through the drudgery of going down to your local Social Security office, check the Social Security website to see if you can take care of your problem without going in.
There are a lot of things you can take care of online.
Tips when going to the Social Security Administration office
I hear a lot of horror stories about going to the Social Security office.
If you need to go to the Social Security office to get a replacement card, change your name, or try to straighten something out with SSA, here are a few tips:
Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool checks if you can get Social Security
If you wonder if you are eligible for Social Security benefits, Social Security has an interactive website to help you answer this question.
Visit Social Security’s BEST (Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool).
BEST checks if you are eligible for the following benefits:
Medicare
Social Security Disability
Social Security Retirement
Social Security Survivors
Special Veterans
Supplemental Security Income
Have you tried BEST, share your experiences in the comments!
What you should know before you apply for children’s SSI disability benefits
Social Security has a fact sheet answering common questions about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for disabled children:
How does Social Security decide if a child is disabled?
How can I get ready for the disability interview?
How does Social Security decide if a child can get SSI?
How will I know what Social Security has decided?
Will my personal information [...]
How to apply for Social Security disability benefits
There are several ways to start an application for Social Security benefits:
At your local Social Security office
While this make take the longest amount of time (depending on the wait times at your local office), applying in person has the advantage of having a live person to ask to if you have a question. The downside [...]
What documents do you need to apply for Social Security?
Do you know what to bring to your interview when applying for Social Security?
Here is the list of information Social Security will need:
What do I need when I apply for Social Security disability?
Do you know what to bring to your interview when applying for Social Security?
Here is the list of information Social Security will need:
Medical Information including the names, addresses and phone numbers of all doctors, hospitals and clinics. Your patient ID number(s), dates seen.
Name(s) of medicine(s) you are taking.
Any medical records you have.
An original or certified [...]
Should I apply for Social Security?
Are you struggling with working because of physical or psychological impairments? Have you stopped working because you just could no longer do the job?
You may be going back and forth on whether to apply for Social Security:
Maybe I will get better. But, what will I do if I am not able to go back to [...]
What you should know before you apply for Social Security disability benefits
Did you know that Social Security has a fact sheet on “What You Should Know Before You Apply For Social Security Disability Benefits?”
How does Social Security decide if I am disabled?
My doctor says I am disabled. Is that enough to qualify me for disability benefits?
I am getting disability payments from my job or another agency, [...]
Am I disabled? Should I apply for Social Security benefits?
A lot of people ask me how Social Security decided if they are disabled.
I can’t do the work I have done for 35 years. Am I disabled?
I stopped working to take care of a family member, but now I am sick. Am I disabled?
I got hurt at work, then they fired me. I keep applying [...]
Keep the forms you filled out and be consistent!
I recently came across this advice on Gather about keeping copies of all the forms Social Security asks you to fill out.
Make sure everything is consistent the whole way through all of your paperwork and conversations. Keep copies for yourself …. they do read all of the forms. That is why I am saying that you must be consistent the whole way through. [...]
Social Security myths: you have to wait 60 days after being denied to reapply
I hear this one with some frequency. I am meeting with a client and they tell me that someone at Social Security told them that if they want to appeal, they have to wait sixty days before starting a new claim / filing a new application.
That’s just not true.
You do not have to wait any [...]
