Your Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for Disability Benefits in Florida

There are certain documents you will need to have if you are planning on applying for disability benefits in Florida(SSD). We’re are posting a brief checklist from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) website here to help you out.

Remember that the SSA’s website is the definitive resource for SSDI and SSI information, but it can be a little difficult to navigate. So why not just bookmark the Disability Experts of Florida website and subscribe to our blog? We’re constantly publishing helpful tips and advice about getting disability benefits. Florida resident or not, our site is a fantastic resource.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us and ask. We’re glad to spend time with those who are truly in need, to help them through the process and give any advice we can. It’s a good thing to hire a trained Social Security disability advocate because of the valuable experience we have, plus you’re always guaranteed that your case will be handled by our personal advocate and not passed along to a legal assistant. That happens a lot when you turn to an attorney. That’s just not the way we do things at DEF. But we digress. Here’s the checklist.

Helping Hands to Help You

This checklist will help you gather the information you may need to complete the Internet Disability Benefits Application and the Disability Report.  You can print an Adobe document of the following information at http://ssa.gov/hlp/radr/10/ovw001-checklist.pdf, or just copy and paste to a Word doc on your computer or call us for further information and clarification.

DISABILITY APPLICATION

• Dates of marriages and divorces.
• Names and dates of birth of your minor children and your spouse.
• Military Service discharge information (Form DD 214) for all periods of active duty.
• W-2 Form (or your IRS 1040 and Schedules C and SE if self-employed) from the previous year.
• Checking or savings account number and bank routing number, if you want Direct Deposit for your benefit checks (a voided check will have all necessary information).

DISABILITY REPORT

• Name, address and phone number of someone we can contact who knows about your medical conditions and can help with your claim.
• Names, addresses, phone numbers, patient ID numbers, and dates of treatment for all doctors, hospitals, and clinics. 

Note: You may want to refer to any Medical Records you have.

• Names of medicines you are taking and who prescribed them.

Note: You may want to have your medicine bottles available.

• Names and dates of medical tests you have had and who sent you for them.
• A list of the jobs (up to 5) that you had in the 15 years before you became unable to work. Include the dates you worked at those jobs, if possible.

• Information about any insurance or workers’ compensation claims you filed, such as claim number and name, address, and phone number of insurance company.

The SSA may contact you about any of the above information.

Your Autonomy is Our First Priority!

Why bother with dealing with the SSA yourself when you have experienced, and empathetic advocates ready to help you right now?

You can do it alone. Or, you can apply for disability in Florida with the aid of a great, accredited advocate of DEF. Let us help you.