How to File for Disability After Knee Surgery

Filing for disability is a necessary but often unwelcome step following many surgical operations, including knee surgery. When knee surgery leaves you subsequently unable to perform your job as required during the recovery period, you will have the option to collect benefits from the Social Security office. There are different routes that can be used to file for disability, so choose the one that fits your particular needs the best.

Instructions

• 1

  Call the Social Security office to provide them with your application information and schedule a disability interview to be conducted either over the phone or in person. Understand that Social Security disability will only pay out benefits to individuals who are expected to remain disabled for a period of a year or more. Be prepared to present medical documentation that this is the case by the time of your scheduled interview.

• 2

  Apply online for disability when you are unable or unwilling to complete the process over the phone. Go to the Social Security page at www.ssa.gov and click oh the link that says "Apply for Disability Benefits" to fill out your application. Following your completion of the process, you might want to call or e-mail the office to ensure that all of your materials were received.

• 3

  Complete your interview, demonstrating that you are likely to be disabled for a year or more, along with providing documentation of your work history to prove you meet both the "recent work" and "duration of work" tests, two tests that determine whether you qualify for benefits. The recent work test will judge whether you have worked enough in the period leading up to your disability, while the duration of work test will determine whether you have been employed a sufficient aggregate amount of time throughout your life to qualify for benefits.