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I actually filed my own application for Social Security Disability and was granted disability the first time. That was rare. I think the reason I was accepted was two-told:
1) I used to be a paralegal. I researched all of the SSA website to find out how they defined a disability and what documentation they need to support it.
2) I also researched the web for websites of disability advocate organizations and took their advice for filling out the forms.
When the SSA reads your application, they do not assume any knowledge of your disability. What I mean is, you have to spell out how your condition interferes with the normal function of your major life activities, such as work, school, household chores, shopping, etc. Also, you have to establish (to the best of my memory) how you are no longer able, because of your disability, to work in your chosen profession.
I cannot stress enough how detailed you must be on the application. You have to list all the symptoms of depression, for example, and how you experience those and how they keep you from doing the daily things a normal person does. In my case, I had both a mental disability and a physical disability. I had to have statements from both my pdoc and my general doc about my illnesses.
Yes, disability lawyers are helpful. When I began receiving disability, it was only a one year wait for Medicare. I'm not sure if they changed it to 2 years or not. It's possible. Also, once your beginning date of disability is established, there's a six month disqualification period. In other words, you don't get a benefit for the first six months from the date you officially became disabled.
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 Vickie
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