Many people choose to file for disability benefits on their own. You can file your application online or over the phone. Here is what that process typically looks like:
- To complete the online filing at ssa.gov, you will need to provide detailed information on Social Security forms SSA-16 and SSA-3368. These forms require extensive information about your medical conditions, treatment providers, work history, medications, and more. Gathering and organizing this information can take significant time and effort.
- If you would like to apply by phone, you must first schedule an appointment with your local Social Security office. Be aware that even reaching someone to schedule the phone application can require multiple attempts and long wait times on hold are common. Once scheduled, you must still provide all of the detailed information requested on the SSA 16 and SSA 3368 forms. Due to staffing limitations, phone appointments are often set weeks or even months in advance, which can further delay the start of your claim.
- After your application is submitted and assigned to a disability examiner, you will be responsible for completing all additional forms sent to you and responding to any phone calls or written requests for information. These requests often have strict deadlines, and missing or incomplete responses can delay your case or result in a denial.
Your Other Option: Hiring an Advocate
A better option may be to hire an expert such as Disability Advocates to manage the entire process for you. We handle your disability claim from the very beginning and manage every detail
We start by collecting the key information needed to initiate the claim.
Since a majority of our expert staff previously worked for Social Security Disability, we know which details are necessary to include on your initial application and what background information the disability office will be requesting later. With that experience, we have been able to simplify things for you, and offer an intake process that is significantly shorter and more streamlined than the online application.
Then, we file the disability benefits application on your behalf and continue to follow up with Social Security to ensure it is processed in a timely manner.
Once your case is assigned to the disability office, we handle all of their requests and questions. Disability examiners are not permitted to contact our clients directly. This is intentional and protective. If an examiner were to speak directly with a claimant, there would be no way to know exactly what was asked or how the response was interpreted. To avoid misunderstandings and protect the integrity of the claim, all communication goes through us.
Our clients are kept informed of their case status throughout the process. When new forms are issued by the disability office, we schedule a phone appointment with the client to complete them together. This step is critical. Many of the questions on disability forms are not straightforward, and answering them incorrectly, incompletely, or without proper context can have a detrimental effect on the claim. We complete the forms on the client’s behalf and submit them electronically directly into the Social Security disability case file. This eliminates mail delays, provides proof of submission, ensures deadlines are met, and helps keep the case moving forward efficiently.
A government study found that people are three times more likely to be approved for disability benefits if they have representation. At Disability Advocates, everything we do is focused on one goal: helping our clients obtain approval as efficiently and quickly as possible while protecting their claims every step of the way.