If you have a long term injury that prevents you from working, you may be eligible for social security benefits. However, you cannot get the benefits until you go through the process of applying. While many individuals feel some stress when going through the application process for social security benefits, applying is fairly simple and, in the long run, anyone with a verifiable disability can be approved eventual with persistence.
The following are five steps to getting the social security disability benefits for which you are eligible:
Gather information and documentation supporting your claim
You need to demonstrate that you have a long term injury that prevents you from working in order to be approved. As such, you’ll need to explain your injury and show some documentation of it. This documentation could include medical records, medication prescriptions, test results from medical or hospital laboratories, and more.
In addition to needing a qualifying physical disability, you also need to show that you were working at some point over the last ten years in order to qualify for disability benefits. You cannot typically get disability benefits if you have not worked at all over the last decade. You’ll need to provide some details about the length and location of any employment you’ve had over the last ten years.
Fill out and submit an application to the Social Security Administration
You can apply for social security disability benefits in any of three different ways. You can fill out an application on the Internet on the Social Security Administration’s website. Alternatively, you can apply by phone or by applying in person at a Social Security office located in your area.
Await a response
It takes some time for the Social Security Administration to process an application. Typically, you’ll have to wait anywhere between three and five months before you’ll get any response about your application.
Appeal a denied claim if necessary
Keep in mind that denial of a claim is not the end of the road. Appeals are always possible, and will probably be necessary, since (according to a Tucson Attorney Handling SSD Cases) most initial claims are denied the first time. Bureaucracy is always frustrating, but the key is to be more persistent than they are difficult.
Find an experienced SSD attorney
It’s best to apply with the assistance of an attorney who is specialized in social security disability. An attorney specialized in this area will know the ins and outs of the application and will help you to fill out the application so that you have the best possible chances at being approved.