Thursday, February 11, 2010

How to Win Your Social Security Disability Claim.

If you are reading this it is because you are applying for Social Security disability or you have been denied SSDI or SSI. If you are denied your disability claim then you might be saying to yourself what can I do to improve my chances of winning? Let me first say, there is no secret formula to win every Social Security disability claim but if you are disabled and unable to work there are certain things you can do to give yourself a better chance of winning. In this post, I will list some things that you can do to help improve your chances. The first thing you need to know is what you have to prove to win your particular SSD claim. If you are unable or you do not have the time to research the Social Security laws to know what it will take to win your claim then it is strongly recommended you get the help of a lawyer for your disability claim. You must also be very active in making sure all your medical records that are relevant to your claim are submitted to Social Security or your attorney if you have one. It is also a very good idea to have opinion evidence from your doctors explaining your medical condition, treatment, medications, medical tests, and how your medical conditions limit you and your ability to do work related activities. In other words, you need evidence that shows your doctor believes you are unable to work. It is not enough to simply have a statement from your Dr. stating that you are permanently and totally disabled. The type of opinion evidence you need must be detailed and explain exactly what your limitations are that prevent you from working. You must also have an understanding of the medical listings of impairments. If you meet or equal a listed impairment then you will be found disabled by Social Security without consideration to other things such as your age education and work experience. However, meeting a listed impairment is designed to be difficult for this reason. So if you think you meet or equal a listed impairment it is important that you show a copy of the medical listings to your Dr. and if your Dr. agrees that you meet or equal one of these listed impairments then you should get a report from that Dr. explaining which listing and why and it needs to be supported by the rest of the evidence in the file. Meeting a listed impairment is not the only way you can be found disabled and most people that are found disabled do not meet or equal listed impairment. However, you should always check to see if your medical conditions are listed and read the requirements it takes in order to meet these listings. If you do not meet or equal listed impairment this is where your doctors opinion of your limitations can still show that you are unable to work. Let's assume for a minute that you do not meet or equal a listed impairment. In this situation, SSA will look at your age, education, work experience and how your medical conditions limit you to determine first if you can't do your prior work, and if they determine you cannot, you must then have the evidence that shows them that you cannot do a significant amount of any other work. What exactly you will have to show and how you will do it depends a lot on your particular medical condition and limitations from it and how old you are, your education and any skills you have acquired from your previous work. Social Security disability claims can become extremely complex in some cases and almost always difficult in general. You may want to consider hiring a Social Security disability lawyer since they have the knowledge and ability to put your case together in a way that gives you the best chance to win your SSD claim. Even if you decide to hire a disability attorney it is still a good idea to learn as much as you can and stay as active as you can in your claim. For more helpful information on Social Security Disability visit my website which covers almost every aspect of an SSD or SSI claim. Another good resource for information but of course will not give you tips on how to win is the SSA website.