I first applied by making an appointment at a local SSA office where someone asked a lot of questions and got things started, then I went to the SSA website and added a disability statement of my own. I had asked a couple of medical doctors and a psychiatrist about helping me, but had been told they do not do that. SSA next sent me to a medical doctor for a physical evaluation and to a psychologist for a mental evaluation and neither of those seemed to believe I qualified...and I was denied. It was at that point that I talked with an attorney who handles appeals, and he told me I had no chance. My overall stress, anxiety and depression landed me in a medical ICU a few weeks later, however, then my attorney suggested I quickly make an appeal before the 90-day period for doing so had expired. The judge who handled my appeal listened to my direct testimony at that hearing and became convinced I had made an honest effort to continue working just as long as I could but that I simply could not keep going because of my chronic, irreparable back trouble and slowly-failing vision having a debilitating impact upon my visual thinking.

Every situation is different and there is no cookie-cutter process offering any guaranteed outcome. A doctor might help you get started, but I would still suggest at least an initial consultation with a well-versed attorney experienced in handling SSDI cases.