Not being able to work because of an injury or sudden disability is frustrating. Besides dealing with the pain and new reality of being disabled, often you have to fight to submit a disability claim. Being injured is stressful enough, and having to deal with disability denial makes that stress worse.
Don’t give up if your claim is denied. There are many actions you can take to speed up the process, fight back against denials, and soon be on your way to possible claim approval.
#1 – File your claim ASAP
As soon as you realize that you will be filing a claim for disability, file the claim. Don’t wait or put it off. The Social Security Administration can’t start processing your file until they actually have it in hand. Right after an injury can be confusing and stressful, yes. But the sooner you have your claim filed, the sooner a decision can be made. Get a family member or friend to help you fill it out, or look for a reliable disability claims attorney to help you file your claim. There are also many online resources that can assist with any questions you may have, including the ssa.gov website.
#2 – Always send in ALL supporting documents
When you send in your claim, make sure to include all supporting documentation required to file your claim. This information often includes:
• Birth certificate
• Social security number
• Complete contact information of doctors, caseworkers, hospitals and/or clinics that oversaw the treatment of your disability or injury
• Any medication you took, along with complete dosage information
• Lab work and any findings or summaries
• Summary of any work you did prior to your disability or during your disability
• Copy of W-2 forms or tax returns if self employed
Online forms are available on the ssa.gov website, including forms: SSA-827, SSA-199, SSA-545, SSA-546, etc…
#3 – Let medical professionals know you’re filing a claim
Make sure that your primary healthcare giver and any other medical professionals that you see about your injury/disability know that you are filing a claim for disability assistance. Quite often there are forms that doctors have to fill out when a patient has a disability claim.
It can seem like the Social Security Administration will do whatever it takes to make the process of filing a disability claim laborious. While this may be the case sometimes, many times the reason why they seem to be dragging their feet on a decision is that they don’t have enough information. By making sure that you get your claim in quickly and have all of the documentation they need to make a quick decision in your favor you’ll speed up the process of approval.
The process of filing a claim can certainly seem frustrating, but by doing your research and following the steps outlined by the Social Security Administration you’re sure to do your due diligence in accomplishing your goal of having a claim approved.
Have you had to file a disability claim in the past? Did you find the process slow? Tell us, in the comments below!
About the Author –
Vern Marker is a freelance writer. He has gone through the disability denial process, and is very well versed on the topic.
