HOW TO APPLY FOR SSD BENEFITS
HOW TO FILE FOR SSD BENEFITS ONLINE
Do you know how to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits?
Are you wondering what is the best way to apply? If so, we have some answers.
If you have access to the internet, then you should apply online at Social Security’s website. It is easy to file your application online. The SSA website will walk you through the SSDI application process. All you need to do is read the questions and answer them. Even if you make a mistake or fail to fill in one of the answers, the website will not let you proceed until you fix the error.
Before you apply for SSDI or Supplemental Security Income benefits, make sure you have the information you need. Prepare in advance. To file your application, you will need all of your personal information. For example, you will need your Social Security number. You will also need to tell the SSA the day you were born and what city you were born in.
If you are married or divorced, you will need those dates as well. They also ask where you were married and divorced. Likewise, you will need the legal names of your parents. Also, if you have children, then you will need their names and their dates of birth. Don’t forget to fill out your children’s information. You need to make sure your children below the age of 18 are on the application. If you don’t put their information on the application, then they won’t be able to receive payments if you win benefits.
INCLUDE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION
Additionally, you will need to give your bank account information to the SSA. The online application is secure and contains a page where you can type in your bank information on that page. If you do not have a bank account, then this should not stop you from filing an application for benefits. You can leave that part of the application blank until you do get a bank account. Then, you can give the SSA your bank account information at a later time.
When you apply for SSD benefits, you will also need to provide a list of your doctors. You should include, along with their names, a list of their addresses and phone numbers. The reason you need to give this information is so the SSA can collect your medical records. Your medical records prove to the SSA that you cannot work due to your physical and mental conditions. Without medical records, you cannot win benefits. If you need help finding a free doctor, then we have resources under free and low cost health care.
WHEN YOU FILE FOR SSD BENEFITS INCLUDE YOUR WORK HISTORY
The SSA will ask you for a list of the jobs you have done in the past 5 years. This is recent change. In the past, the SSA asked you to write down all of the jobs you have done for the past 15 years. Fortunately, as of June 2024, that is no longer the case. It should be easier to remember the jobs you have done in the past five years versus the last 15 years. Especially if you have done a large number of jobs.
If you have worked full time, for longer than 3 months at any job, then you will need to include those jobs on your application. If you don’t write it down when you apply, then the SSA will ask you for it later. The SSA cannot make a decision in your case unless you give them your work history. Because the first thing they have to decide is whether you can return to any of your old jobs. They will also look at any skills you have learned at your job. The reason for this is to see if your skills can transfer to other jobs in the economy.
Another thing you may also need to provide is a copy of your birth certificate. Or, if you have become a citizen of the U.S., then you will need to submit your official paperwork along with your application. However, don’t let the lack of some of this information prevent you from filing for benefits.
HOW TO CHOOSE AN “ONSET DATE” WHEN YOU APPLY FOR SSD BENEFITS
When filing an application for SSD benefits online, you will be asked to choose the date that your disability began. This date is called your “alleged onset date.” It is the date the SSA will use to establish that your medical condition kept you from working.
Choosing an onset date is important to your case because the SSA may not accept the date that you choose. If they don’t, then that can cause a delay in your case.
It is important to choose an onset date that is near or after the date you stopped working. SSA defines work as earning money at the level of substantial gainful activity (SGA). In 2024, that amount of money is $1550 per month, prior to taxes being taken out.
If you are earning over the level of substantial gainful activity, then the SSA will not let you file for SSDI or SSI benefits. If you stop working for reasons other than a severe medical condition and then become disabled, then you can choose an onset date that coincides with your when your illness began.
YOUR SSD BENEFITS BEGIN AFTER YOU STOP WORKING
Do not choose an onset date during any period of time that you were working. While your medical condition might have started while you were working, you cannot qualify for benefits while you were working. Therefore, your onset date must be a date when you were not working. For example, let’s pretend your doctor found you had cancer one year ago. However, after your doctor told you that you had cancer you continued to work for 3 months.
After 3 months, your cancer symptoms got worse and you had to quit work. Your onset date is not the day the doctor told you that you had cancer. Instead, your onset date of disability is the day that you stopped working. Therefore, it is important to choose an alleged onset date that is the date you were no longer able to work.
The date your choose as your onset date is also important because it will be the date that the SSA uses to figure out your past due benefits. Learn more about past due SSD benefits. Additionally, it is also the date the SSA uses to calculate your Medicare benefits.
SSI BENEFITS BEGIN ON THE DAY THAT YOU APPLY – THEY DO NOT GO BACK IN TIME
If you are awarded SSI benefits, then your monthly benefits will begin on the day you apply for SSI benefits. That is, of course, if the SSA agrees with the date you choose. However, if you win Social Security benefits, then you will have a five month waiting period from your onset date before you get paid benefits. Your onset date is the day your disability began. But, it must also be a day that you stopped working. The five month waiting period begins the month after you apply. So, in reality, it is actually a six month waiting period that the SSA calls a 5 month waiting period.
SSD benefits can be paid a year prior to the date of your application, as long as you were not working. Work also has a special meaning with the SSA. The SSA defines working as earning a certain amount of money every month. Read more about the SSA’s definition of working. Working over SGA prevents you from filing for benefits.
HIRE THE BEST LEGAL TEAM TO WIN YOUR SSD BENEFITS
If you need to file your application for SSD benefits, then contact us. We will help you file your online application. Additionally, we offer a free review of your benefits. Moreover, it costs no up front money to hire us.
The legal team at our law firm helps thousands of people every year. We have been winning SSDI and SSI cases for over 30 years. During that time, we have won over 20,000 cases. Additionally, we have won over $100 million in SSDI and SSI benefits for our clients.
Not only will help you file your application online. After that, we will appeal any SSA denial you receive. Prior to your Social Security hearing, we will meet with you to discuss the questions the Judge will ask. Every person is different and has unique issues that they face.
Therefore, when we prepare you for your hearing, we focus on your unique medical condition. The SSA will consider all of your physical and mental conditions. Learn more about physical conditions that qualify for SSD benefits. Also, you can learn about mental conditions that qualify for benefits. When you file your application, make sure to report all of your medical conditions to the SSA. Even if you think they are not important. You could be wrong. The SSA must consider every medical condition. Therefore, the combination of your conditions could make it impossible for you to work. Also, learn more about your residual functional capacity.
If you hire Cannon Disability as your legal team, then it is our job to show the Judge why you cannot work due to your medical conditions. We can prove your mental and physical conditions prevent you from working. Contact us today for help with your SSD benefits.
