How to Apply for SSDI: The Basics
You have three ways to submit your Social Security Disability Insurance application:
- Online
- Over the phone
- In a Social Security office
To start the process, you’ll fill out key forms from Social Security:
- Application for Disability Insurance Benefits, Form SSA-16
- Adult Disability Report, Form 3368-BK
The forms ask for basic information to determine whether you meet the disability requirements:
- What is your illness or injury?
- What kinds of work have you done?
- What were the demands of those jobs?
- What is your educational background?
- How do your medical conditions interfere with your work?
- When did you have to stop working?
- What medications and medical treatment have you received?
You’ll also have to provide details like your date and place of birth, marriage status, Social Security number, citizenship status, and your eligibility for other kinds of benefits.
And you’ll have many other forms to complete that go deeper into different parts of the circumstances that call for you to receive disability benefits.
Before you spend hours on this, talk to the Social Security Disability lawyers at Troutman & Troutman to get a better feel for what to expect. It doesn’t come with any costs or commitments just to give us a call.
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Common Mistakes People Make when Applying for Social Security Disability
There are about as many ways to make mistakes in your Social Security Disability application as there are questions on all the forms you have to fill out.
But by reading this page, you can find out how to avoid the most common errors. The Tulsa disability lawyers at Troutman law firm see people making these mistakes all the time:
- Applying Too Soon. The requirements say your disability must last at least 12 months to get benefits. If you just got a diagnosis or injury, and it’s not clear how long you’ll need to miss work, Social Security may reject your application.
- Waiting Too Long. At the same time, as soon as you know you’ve got a medical condition that will easily take a year, don’t hesitate to apply for benefits. The back pay that you eventually receive could be less the longer you wait.
- Failing to Turn in All the Forms. If you miss a form that they require you to fill out, you’ll almost certainly be denied. Professional disability lawyers know all the forms you need.
- Failing to Answer All the Questions. On those forms, you must provide complete and correct information. Don’t skip questions or fudge answers.
- Hard-to-Read Answers. If a claims reviewer can’t read your answers, it’s as though the form is incomplete. Make it neat. Or better yet, type it out.
- Wrong Information. Even small errors, like a misspelled name for one of your doctors, can trip up your disability claim. When Social Security goes to confirm your diagnosis with the doctor, for example, they may not find the right person.
- Conflicting Information. Information on one part of your application that seems to say the opposite of what’s on another part of your application can sink your disability case.
- Inadequate Supporting Evidence. Besides the forms, you must obtain medical records from your treatment program that back up what you say about your health problems.
- Missing Deadlines. Once you start the disability application process, Social Security will ask you to send in more forms. When they do, you will either have to reply in a short time or ask for an extension. So move quickly.
- Not Getting Help. Working with someone who’s gone through this process thousands of times is one of the best ways to avoid mistakes, build a strong application, and improve your chances of being approved for benefits. And for a disability attorney, you pay no fee unless and until you win benefits.
When so much is at stake—your financial security and peace—it feels better knowing your disability benefits application is being well taken care of by a skilled disability lawyer.
The Oklahoma disability lawyers at Troutman & Troutman live for the day that you get the news you’ve been approved for economic assistance and finally feel like things will be OK.
Contact Us Today! »Wherever You Are in the Disability Benefits Process, We Can Help
You may be trying to determine if Social Security Disability benefits are right for you. You may be facing a long, complicated benefits application. Or maybe you’ve applied and been denied. Now what? The Troutman & Troutman Oklahoma disability attorneys can help.
Disability Attorneys Answer Your Questions about Social Security
Your life has been disrupted by health problems. You’ve had to leave work. You’re worried about money. Social Security Disability benefits can provide relief, but they’re complicated. You’ve got a lot of questions. The Troutman & Troutman Tulsa disability lawyers have answers.
SSD Questions & Answers »
