The Common Disability Filing Mistake You Must Avoid

Handling your disability application and potential for benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) can be tricky business. What are the best practices for applying, which deliver the greatest success potential? What can I do to improve my benefits and make sure I get the support I need? When asking these questions and taking action with their disability application, many Americans fall for simple mistakes and avoidable pitfalls, largely due to lack of understanding and preparation. When it comes to applying for disability benefits, preparation is everything.

Knowing what information to prepare, such as medical and work history documentation, and handling your application correctly will assist in giving you the greatest chance for success on your application. Fortunately, there are professional disability experts available to guide you along the way, and make sure you receive the maximum benefits for your disability.

Poor Preparation Leads to Poor Results

As we’ve stated, when it comes to disability benefits, preparation is key in receiving those benefits; you’ll have to be sure you meet certain prerequisite conditions before successfully applying for disability becomes a realistic possibility. For starters, you will have to have conditions classified as disabling in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book; the reference catalogue used by the SSA to determine whether or not a disability is eligible and work limiting. Further, your disability will have lasted, or be expected to last, at least one year.

As the SSA does not grant disability benefits for non-permanent condition (such as broken bones, or other temporarily disabling circumstances), being sure your condition is covered before filing is a crucial first step in receiving benefits.

Gathering Evidence and Proving Work History

Of course, merely having a disability is not enough to guarantee your benefits; you’ll have to prove how your condition affects your ability to work, and limits your ability to earn in the same ways as prior to the onset of your disability. A major factor in proving your disability to the SSA is the official medical documentation received during hospital and health care visits, which help provide a solid foundation for your claim in the eyes of the SSA. Be sure to keep track of all records, treatments, medication and doctor’s visits from your disability onset and thereafter.

As concisely gathering all of this evidence and presenting it in an applicable manner may be a challenge for some, those applying for disability benefits will often contact a disability specialist in their area. These professionals can collect and manage all of this evidence material, as well as effectively communicate with the SSA over the terms in your medical documentation; this crucial support much improves your chances of successfully applying for benefits.

Medical documentation isn’t enough on its own, however, to prove that your conditions qualify for disability benefits. The SSA determines your benefit amount based on Social Security credits (your lifetime contributions to Social Security through taxes) and your work history prior to disability. For disability benefits applicants, the SSA will typically use two tests to assess your contributions: the recent work test and duration of work test.

In a recent work test, the SSA will analyze your monthly contributions to Social Security over a determined period of years immediately prior to your disability. This time window is largely based on your age at the onset of disability. Should your contributions meet criteria in this frame, the SSA will determine you eligible under the recent work test.

The duration of work test, which is similar to the recent work test in what it analyzes, instead measures your contributions to Social Security throughout your working lifetime. To prove your abilities to work have changed over the course of your disability and your working contributions to Social Security make you eligible for benefits, it may be extremely helpful in your situation to have a disability expert consultant at your side.

Professional Help Is Make or Break For Many Applicants

Perhaps the single biggest mistake you can make with your disability is not seeking professional support when you need it. Countless factors play into your potential for receiving disability, and lacking one piece of crucial documentation somewhere in your application can cost you everything.

For this reason, hiring a disability specialist to manage and guide you through the application process can be the best thing you can do for your disability. Even if you have previously been denied benefits, professional support can help you receive those benefits, no matter the unique situation of your disability. Preparation is everything, and disability experts help applicants nationwide simplify their preparation, and get the crucial financial support they need.