here in the USA anyone can walk into the social security office, ask the receptionist for an application for SSI / SSDI.

Once the application is filled in the person meets with a social security social worker who explains the next part of the procedure -the person answering more questions and signing release forms so that the Social security social worker can obtain copies of the persons physical and mental health records.

Then the person recieves in the mail a notice that they need to schedule appointments with certain social security approved physicians and psychiatrists for aditional testing.

They do this for two reasons -

one - compare your person physical and mental health records to what their list of approved professionals find

two so that more can be added to the case. Sometimes the persons own physical and mental health records does not have enough documentation about something that will get the grant approved and those professionals that are on the social security approved list can add more about the situation then is what the persons personal physician and mental health treatment professionals do.

After the person has released all pertenent files and has completed Social Securitys protocal for testing with their professionals the reports are compared and so on and the person recieves a letter of acceptance or denial of the SSI / SSDI grant.

Once on the grant the person has to meet certain protocals called recertifications at intervals.

The basic recerts are based on what is contained in your grant. Here I go through the foodstamp recerts every 6 months since my grant includes foodstamps, I go though the basic recert of cash, food and medical yearly and the "review" for SSI /SSDI at the social security office every 5 years.

The recerts are just paperwork kind of thing.

The "reviews" is like the application process of releasing physical and mental health files and seeing thier professionals to ensure that I am still elegible for the SSI /SSDI grant.

During the initial application process the case is considered active meaning once the approval letter goes through the person recieves a check from the date of application to the date of approval and then the persons checks are sent monthly.

Once approved the checks continues monthly as long as the person meets all requirements and criteria for having the grant and completes recerts and reviews.