Disability Claim
When an individual is seeking disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, they must file a disability claim and fill out a disability form called the Social Security disability application. It’s important for an individual who wants to file a disability claim to understand the benefits they are requesting and the eligibility they may have for these benefits.
• Someone filing a disability claim for themselves or a family remember must keep in mind that they must be under the age of 65 and unable to work due to a disability. The disability form includes a section of answers for frequently asked questions that one may have about filing a disability claim. When filing a disability claim, an individual should know what the Social Security Administration considers disabled.
• On the disability form, a disability is defined as the inability to participate in any former work related activity, as well as any other possible work related activities. This will be determined by any medical physician or mental impairment; the disability must be expected to last for at least one year or result in the death of the individual.
• When the disability form is filled out, an interview is given in regards to the disability claim by a Social Security representative. The interview for the disability claim will last about a hour and the representative will ask the individual questions regarding their work history, family and actual disability. During this time, the disability form will be completed.
• After the interview is completed, the individual’s disability claim is forwarded to a state agency. A specialist at the state agency known as an examiner will determine if the disability claim is valid or not by requesting the individual’s medical records and evaluating them to see if the person’s disability follows the same conditions mentioned in the disability form.
• Usually, a disability claim decision will take less than four months to make. There are times when a disability claim can take longer than four months. This is due to several possible factors. If an individual is missing information on the disability form, then there could be time added on to the process. If the examiner has trouble gaining access to the individual’s medical records for their disability claim there will be a delay. Lastly, if the disability claim is denied and an appeal is requested by the individual filing the disability claim, then the disability claim process will have to be redone.
Filling out the disability form properly is a large factor in determining how long the disability claim will take to be accepted or denied. Checking with the Social Security representative to make sure that the disability form is filled out properly is smart idea when filing a disability claim.