What
you can do to speed up your disability application
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[June 28, 2011]
If
your disabling condition is preventing you from continuing to work,
you may want to apply for disability benefits through Social
Security. In most cases, doing so involves a thorough process of
determining your eligibility, medical condition, and ability to
work. Because we look so carefully at so many cases — more than
three million each year — it can take us three to five months to
determine whether you are eligible.
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Processing times on that
initial claim can vary depending on several factors, but primarily
on:
- the nature of your
disability;
- how quickly we obtain
medical evidence from your doctor or other medical sources; and
- whether we need to
send you for a medical examination in order to obtain evidence
to support your claim.
There are things you can do
to help speed up the process. The more information you provide up
front, the less time it will take us to obtain the evidence we need
— and the faster your claim can be processed.
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What type of information do
we need?
- Any medical records or
documentation you have is helpful. We can make copies of the
records you have and return your originals;
- The names, addresses,
and phone numbers for any doctors, medical facilities, treatment
centers, or providers related to your disabling condition;
- The names, addresses,
and phone numbers for previous employers and the dates worked
for each employer;
- Workers’ compensation
information, including the settlement agreement, date of injury,
claim number, and proof of other disability benefits awarded;
- Names and dates of
birth of your minor children and your spouse;
- Dates of marriages and
divorces (if any);
- Checking or savings
account number, and the bank’s 9-digit routing number, so we can
deposit your payment electronically;
- Name, address, and
phone number of a person we can contact if we are unable to get
in touch with you.
If this disability
application is for a child, we need the name, address, phone number
of the schools attended and any school records you can provide.
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We also ask you to sign
release forms that give us permission to obtain the information
needed from third parties to make a decision on your claim.
The best place to start is
online at
www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
Select “Disability Starter Kit” in the left column. There, you’ll
find more information and starter kits for both adults and children.
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You can apply online for
disability benefits (the easiest method), or you can make an
appointment by phone or in a Social Security office. The choice is
yours. (For Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits,
you cannot apply online, but you still can complete the Disability
Starter Kit to prepare for the interview and speed-up the processing
time.)
If you’re considering an
application for disability benefits, the place to go is
www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
By Judith Bartels
Social Security District
Manager in Springfield, IL
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