What to Know About Applying for Social Security Disability

You might have a health issue and want to apply for social security disability. Social security disability exists as a safety net of sorts. It is there to help you live your life if you severely injure yourself or develop a serious medical condition.

We will talk about it in detail right now. You should know some basics if you’re about to try and tackle this sometimes-intimidating process.

What Exactly is Social Security Disability?

Social security disability is a government-funded program. The Social Security Administration pays for it. It provides you with monthly benefit payments if you have a disability that prevents you from working.

Social Security looks back 1-2 years once you apply. The program wants to verify your condition, so they’ll need to know about your medical history leading up to your current state. They will take a holistic approach to helping you if they can, so you’ll need to provide as much documentation about your situation as possible.

You’ll Need to List All Your Doctors and Treatments

To get social security disability benefits, you’ll need to prove or firmly establish that you’ve done all you can to treat or fix the injury or illness. When you contact the Social Security Administration, you’ll want to have all of your medical and doctor info ready. You can feel sure they’ll want to look at all of that and contact your doctors to speak to them about you.

Mention any current doctors, but also former ones. Have documentation about your treatment, such as surgeries, physical therapy you went through, medications you’re taking, etc. The more you can tell them about your condition, the more likely they will grant your request to start getting money to support yourself.

Stay Ready to Respond

The Administration might send you all kinds of forms to fill out. Be ready to do that as quickly and accurately as you can. The senders often impose deadlines, and you should note those and try to comply with them.

You might want to contact a social security disability lawyer as well. You can sometimes find attorneys who specialize in this area. They can help you fill out all the forms and meet all the deadlines since they’ve gone through this process before.

You’ll Need to Meet Their Doctors

You will also need to meet doctors that work for the Social Security Administration. They will examine you to see if they agree with the current medical assessments regarding your condition.

When you see them, be honest. Don’t try to fake or exaggerate a condition. If you do so, the Administration can prosecute you for fraud. Doubtless, you need that money, but you shouldn’t try to exhibit symptoms unless you have them.

Don’t attempt to put on a brave face when you meet with their medical professionals. If something hurts, tell them. Try to describe your day-to-day functionality. If you can’t work in your chosen profession, you need to tell these doctors all about that.

The Function Report

You’ll need to fill out a lot of paperwork during this process, so go into it knowing and understanding that. The function report is one of the most crucial parts of this process.

The function report allows you to talk about what you can and can’t do. It is in a free-form format, so you can elaborate on what you do every day and what you no longer can.

That form will get to an adjudicator who will help make the ultimate determination about your payments. If they read that report and feel you merit consideration for the program, you are a big step closer to getting the payments you need.

You can talk about whether you have good and bad days or whether you’re in pain constantly. You can talk about your mental condition as well as your physical one. The more you can explain your current situation, the better your chances of getting that money.

An Attorney Can Help

You can certainly try to tackle this whole process alone, but you should at least think about having an attorney on your side. Some lawyers do only social security disability cases, or they specialize in them.

If you hire one, that attorney can talk you through the whole process and advocate for you. They can help you through any rough patches and keep you steady and on course. It’s never a bad idea to have someone to help you during this process.