Tips or Advice on How to Apply for Disability

Before you apply for disability, understand how the word relates to work. The first question a judge will ask is, "Are you able to perform any type of work?" Some people mistakenly believe that if you cannot continue to perform your former job, you are too disabled to work. In fact, you must be disabled to the point that you are unable to perform any meaningful work at least part time. If you become disabled and can no longer lift 50 pounds -- and this was a requirement for your former job -- but you can perform similar work without the lifting requirement, you are deemed eligible to work.

Apply online

• You may ask for someone to help you fill out the application online or in person.

  You can apply for Social Security disability online (See Reference 1). Have all personal information handy to refer to as you fill out the application. You will need your work history, date of disability, last date you worked, and the name of your supervisor. You will also need Social Security numbers of everyone in your household. The application will ask for the names of all your doctors and all medications taken in the past and those you are currently taking. You'll need complete names of hospitals, clinics and doctor's offices, as well as complete addresses and telephone numbers. You will need the dates of all doctor visits.

Leave a paper trail

• Before a decision is made on your claim, you will need to provide copies of every doctor visit, hospital stay, clinic visit, and record of all medications taken that pertain to the disability in question. You will need to present a letter from at least one of your doctors stating that you are 100 percent disabled and unable to perform meaningful work. According to government standards, you must have been disabled for at least six months before applying. However, if you have been severely injured or afflicted by disease, begin the application as soon as you are told you can never return to work. It may take six months before your application is ever seen.

Don't hide your disability

• How has your disability limited your everyday activities?

  Should you make it before a disability judge, he or she will ask family and friends about your disability. He will ask what you do all day. Can you sit for at least two hours? Can you walk unassisted? Are you able to bathe yourself, groom your own hair, dress yourself? Can you take out the trash? It is helpful to the judge if someone can answer these questions based on what they have personally witnessed. The judge may ask how your medicine affects you. Does it make you drowsy, irritable or nervous?

Do you need an attorney?

• Legally, no, you do not have to have an attorney. If you do, you must pay a portion of your disability back-pay to the attorney. Most judges prefer that an attorney handle the paperwork. It can become lengthy and complicated. It is a matter of choice. It may speed up the time it takes to be seen by the judge, or it may have no bearing on your case. It depends upon how comfortable you are handling your own affairs.

What you can expect

• Almost without exception, every application for disability is turned down the first time it is submitted. This is to discourage those who are trying to scam the system. It also gives the government more time to complete cases that have been waiting a long time before you applied. Expect to reapply, appeal, wait, appeal again, then finally ask to be heard by a judge. The process can take up to three years from the date of first filing until the first check is deposited into your bank account. If you feel your claim is legitimate, stay with it and supply all paperwork asked of you by your caseworker.