Published on: August 26, 2014
Here at Disability Experts of Florida, we’ve helped a lot of people file for disability benefits over the years. All told, our staff has over a century’s worth of combined experience in dealing with the SSA.
To help you avoid problems in your own application for SSDI and SSI benefits, we’ve assembled a top five countdown of the things that applicants have told us that they wished they’d known before they filed for SSDI and/or SSI benefits:
#5: “I Wish I’d Known That They’d Assess My Family’s Assets”
When the SSA reviews an SSI disability application, one of the criteria that they use to screen applicants is how much they actually need the money in order to make ends meet. While a lot of people are familiar with the work tests, which assess an applicant’s ability to be gainfully employed, they often forget about the financial review of your current assets, including the assets of your spouse.
SSI benefits are awarded based on need, and those who have the financial means to cope with their condition already are typically denied benefits. Naturally, certain critical assets, such as your primary residence and your car that you use for basic transportation, are excluded from this determination.
#4: “I Wish I’d Known That I’d Need All of This Paperwork!”
The filing process for disability benefits can involve a complicated mass of paperwork. Examples of paperwork that you need include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Birth certificate.
- ID card or driver’s license.
- Your Social Security Number.
- A complete work history.
- Medical history (with a focus on medications/treatments you’ve used to address your disabling condition).
- Contact information for all doctors, caseworkers, hospitals and/or clinics that supplied care to you.
- An incident report (if the condition is the result of an injury).
- Your most recent W-2 or Federal Tax Return form.
The SSA takes all of this information into account when they decide whether or not to approve your claim for SSDI benefits. If anything is missing, it can cause an application to be turned down or result in a processing delay.
#3: “I Wish I’d Known That it Would take This Long”
One of the major frustrations of dealing with the SSA for a disability application is that it can take months to receive an update on the status of your application. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that you can do to combat this beyond filing as soon as possible and making sure that your have all of the documentation you need on hand to provide support for your disability claim.
Due to the voluminous amount of paperwork and the sheer number of claims being processed, delays are inevitable. No matter how hard the staff at the SSA works, they don’t have the resources to process the hundreds of thousands of applications that they receive each month. In 2013 alone, the SSA received more than 2.5 million applications for benefits under the SSDI program.
Because of the backlog caused by the complexity of the process and the sheer number of applicants, it usually takes months for the SSA to process an initial application. Just be aware that when you’re filing for disability, you may need to prepare for the long haul.
#2: “I Wish I’d Known That I Could Have Qualified for Other Supplemental Income Programs”
While Social Security’s Disability Program is one of the most well-known and frequently applied-for benefits programs out there, it isn’t the only one. Sometimes, people who don’t qualify for Social Security disability benefits may still be able to get benefits under another program.
For example, if the SSA doesn’t find you to be sufficiently disabled to qualify for benefits, but you still have difficulty finding gainful employment, you may qualify for certain other supplemental income plans. Or, if your condition is ruled as being temporary, and it was the result of an on-the-job accident, then you may be able to claim benefits under Worker's Compensation or be able to apply for Unemployment Compensation.
Learning about all of the different benefits programs that you can use to supplement your income may involve getting a little help and which brings us to the top item on our countdown:
#1: “I Wish I’d Known That I Could Have Had Help This Whole Time!”
When you’re filing for disability benefits, you have the right to have assistance with your case. Many people don’t seek help until after their first denial; othes hire a Representative when filing the initial application. Its a matter of personal preference.
However, many people don’t know that they can employ the assistance of a non-attorney advocate, and they miss out on the chance to get expert advice that can mean the difference between receiving approval for your rightful benefits and waiting for several more months to make another appeal.
So don’t delay, get the help that will make the difference for your disability case today.
