If you have been injured or diagnosed with an illness which stops you going to work and earning a living and you believe you qualify for social security disability benefits, don’t expect your claim to be automatically approved.
It is important to be proactive about you claim by filing paperwork on time, seeing your doctor on a regular basis, and staying in contact with your disability attorney. If you don’t do this your claim may be denied and the appeals claim can be a slow and lengthy process.
Filing Paperwork on Time
In order to qualify for SSDI benefits, you must prove you had enough work credits to qualify for disability insurance benefits. In addition, even though there is no time limit to actually file an SSDI claim, the SSA will not pay any back pay for any period more than 12 months prior to the date of your SSDI application.
When it comes to filing for supplemental security income (SSI) benefits there is no time limit for filing the application. However, if your SSD and/or SSI application is denied, you have only 60 days to request a hearing from the date you received the notice of determination for your initial claim.
You are tied by a deadline if your request for reconsideration is denied, as you have only 60 days to request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge(ALJ). If at any point in your disability benefits claim process you miss a deadline you will no longer be eligible for social security disability benefits
Seeing Your Doctor on a Regular Basis
You need to maintain contact with your doctor for check-ups and the monitoring of your treatment. You should maintain records of any new tests or treatments you have been given so that the SSA can find out if you are still disabled.
If you have these records available then you decrease the chances of being asked by the SSA to be examined by a social security disability specialist. Even if the SSA requires you to attend another examination by one of their doctors, your medical records will be current and available to support your disability claim.
Staying in Contact with Your Disability Attorney
Throughout the process of applying for a SSD benefit, if you have an attorney working on your behalf to get your SSD/SSI entitlements you should not miss any deadlines. You should follow the attorney’s directions to ensure you have provided all the right evidence to support your disability benefits claim.
Get a Free Case Evaluation Today
If you are applying for disability benefits you should speak to a disability attorney to minimize the possibility of any errors being made which could affect you applying for a SSD benefit. If you have an attorney on your side there is a greater chance your disability benefits claim will be approved.
Request assistance from a disability law attorney by completing a free case evaluation.
Additional Resources
- How to Know if Your Condition is “Disabling Enough”
- Get a Social Security Attorney or Disability Advocate
