How to Apply?

I'm seeing a new pdoc and she suggested that I apply for disability based on my mental illness. I have no idea how to start the application process. Does anyone here know? Thank you.

Yes you call social security (800)772-1213, and will probably have to go to a local office. You can check their website as well www.ssa.gov It takes a long time. Back when I applied the wait was 6 months, now it's around a year or more. But the sooner you start the sooner you will get your approval. Best of luck.

I applied in 2012 and was approved for SSDI 3 months later. The law firm I used got paid nothing because I got approved so quickly, which meant there were no back benefits for them to get a percentage of. As in your case, I was strongly encouraged to apply by a doctor.

I strongly advise you not to apply on your own. Start calling some of the big law firms that specialize in helping people get SSDI. When they hear that your doctor is supporting you putting in a claim, they will be very interested.

Many will advise you to apply on your own and only turn to lawyers, if you get denied. They'll tell you that doing so will save you money. Don't listen. Doing things that way could cost you money - a lot.

I would sooner defend myself in court against a murder rap without an attorney, than pursue getting SSDI without legal representation. Making those phone calls won't cost you a cent. The people who call you back, paralegals, will be nice to you. And you'll learn things from talking with them.

Do yourself a favor and listen to me. You have enough to do taking care of your health. Let the pros do what they do best. Or drive yourself nuts and find out the hard way that you've just wasted a bunch of time.

I looked at some of your threads. You're the kind of applicant lawyers like. Right age . . . long history, with a retreivable paper trail . . . on meds . . . has consistently sought treatment and been compliant with it.

You're well-organized and able to write well. You can use that ability to help with some of the paperwork that you have the option of doing.

Here's why I got approved so fast: 1) I had a good law-firm, keeping everything on track. 2) I did not leave all the paperwork to the clerks at the law office, but did some of it myself.

The law firm can handle rounding up your medical records better than you can. If you try, the people you contact may well ignore you. They know they can't ignore a law firm.

On the other hand, no one can tell your story as well as you. You'll eventually get this big 13, or so, page thing to fill out that some people let the law clerks handle. Don't delegate that task to the law firm. Do it yourself, after educating yourself a bit. That means get a good book, watch some videos on youtube, and read some stuff on-line. Lawyers have put stuff out there for free. Check Nolo.com. Nolo puts out books that are reasonably priced and easy to read by any literate person. You are literate. That's why you can contribute meaningfully to helping with the paperwork.

In my case, no attorney at the law firm did anything for me. It was all done by clerks and paralegals. The lawyers only get involved, if your initial application gets denied. That, btw, is how every law firm operates. The clerks know how to jump through the right hoops, which is what a lot of what this is about.

The firm I used was in a different state than the one I live in. That was no problem. All you need is a computer. You interact with the law firm through their web site. This set up works fine.

Wow, it must be a lot more complicated than it was when I applied. My Pdoc pushed me to apply & I (with the help of my H at that time) worked on filling out the application. It wasn't good with my level of anxiety & I had unsuccessfully gone through a workman's comp case. Not only did I apply myself but got it on the first try....but I was so messed up back then I guess there was no question.

My H just before I left him applied for disability. Think he was denied once & then reapplied on his own & got it without any help. That was back around 2007-2008. Guess it's become a lot more difficult to get disability since that time.

Post 2008 (the big recession,) many out of work, older workers have applied, mainly because the job market has been so tight. (Truth be told, that was a lot of why I applied.) The government has been criticized, especially by the right, for approving too many iffy applications. So, the trend now is to set the bar a bit higher in terms of the burden of proof required. And, political pressures being what they are, that's only going to get worse.

I successfully did my own bankruptcy without the help of a lawyer, so I think I'm pretty good with paperwork. It was tedious, but very straightforward. Disability cases are way less straightforward. That's always been true.

If you are blind, or have Lou Gehrig's disease, or end stage kidney failure, then, yeah, it's open and shut. Even in those cases, the approval comes so quickly that the lawyers make nothing (in % of back benefits.) So folks with those disorders might as well use the help, since it will end up being free.

Maybe, if you've got a smart, well-organized family member to help you out, it is less over-whelming. I was alone and in danger of ending up homeless, without quick approval. So I didn't want to screw anything up.

Some attorneys will even tell you to apply on your own and come see them after you get denied on the first try. That's because they want to have your approval occur after you've accumulated back benefits. (So they make more money.) The big nationwide law firms, specializing in disability benefits, don't put you through that.

Whether you get a law firm to help you, or not, do some reading and research on the Internet. There are things you need to understand, so that you don't say the wrong thing. It is not true that the SSA wants to deny your first application just to see if you're serious. Lots of apps get denied, simply because the applicant did not understand what the SSA needs to see in the paperwork.

Hi Laurabeth
Yes, definitely call the number or visit the website provided by your responders to this post. That would be most convenient. If you decide to visit the office for more info, get there early as it fills up quickly and you will be there all day. It is an intensive process to get benefits. Lawyers started contacting me as soon as they were alerted that I was applying for benefits. I did not utilize them because I figured that there is a good chance that I would qualify. Besides I did not want to part with a percentage that I was not prepared to get rid of.

I went through ssa.gov but also got a lawyer. It took six months for me to get approved. I had to pay the lawyer a percentage but it was worth it since I got approved so quickly.

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Hey Laura Beth, you go down in person to social security and talk to them. You need a Doctors evaluation in a letter to submit to them with medical records to say why you need to go on SS. And it goes from there. I wish you the best dear, blessings