If you are suffering from a serious injury, or have a medical condition that prevents you from working, you might be entitled to file for Social Security Disability (SSD). Disability payments may provide you with a living wage if your condition is too severe to allow you to work. Many people throughout Arkansas and around the country apply to Social Security Disability every day in hopes that their condition will be accepted and get them coverage.
If you are seeking disability coverage, these factors may help your claim be accepted by the Social Security Administration (SSA). These factors are not intended as ways to cheat or game the system, but are legitimate factors that help convince the SSA that you need SSD. If you need help with your disability application, or need to fight against a denial, talk to an attorney today. Fayetteville AR disability lawyer Ken Kieklak may be able to help.
4 Ways to Get Social Security Disability Applications Approved
The Social Security Administration looks at many factors when they check your application. The applications with the best chance of being accepted are those that most closely meet the SSA’s definition of “disabled.” To fit that definition, the following factors may help:
4. Have a Listed Condition
The SSA keeps a list of conditions that qualify for disability. The “Listing of Impairments,” sometimes called the “Blue Book” of disabilities, includes 14 main categories of disability. These include disorders for the various systems of your body (e.g. musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, etc.), as well as mental disorders, cancer, and immune system disorders. Each group of conditions is broken down into specific conditions, such as chronic heart failure, some forms of Down syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and other disorders.
If your condition is on this list, it does not automatically guarantee that you qualify for disability, but it helps. Your condition must also meet other factors, such as severity, to qualify for disability.
3. Give Important Details about Severity
Certainly, you may never lie or exaggerate on your disability application. However, do not hesitate to give a lot of detailed, truthful information about your condition. Holding back embarrassing details about the severity of your condition could result in the SSA not seeing the condition as truly severe.
Disability is only available when a condition is so severe that it prevents you from doing work-related tasks. Some jobs involve mainly sitting at a desk typing or doing paperwork, so conditions often need to be quite severe to prevent low-impact, low-stress activities. If you have trouble getting dressed by yourself, using the restroom without help, or walking, list those details. They may be embarrassing to admit to a stranger, but they certainly help your application. The more detailed your application is, the less questions the SSA will need to clarify later.
2. Talk to an Attorney
Before filling out your application, have a lawyer review your case. Many applications are rejected after the first filing because they lack the details or proper paperwork required for the SSA to determine whether disability payments are necessary. If the SSA rejects your case, it may take a long time to repeat the filing or fight the denial. If you have an attorney experienced in filing Social Security Disability applications help you with yours, there is a better chance that the application is full and complete.
Many times, if your condition is very severe, you might not be able to fill out an application without assistance. Taking your application to a disability attorney might help you complete your disability application while simultaneously improving the application’s quality.
1. Talk to a Doctor
Sometimes, your application requires some outside confirmation of your condition. You may be required to complete your own evaluation of your conditions, called a “Function Report.” This document is a chance to list day-to-day struggles you face with your condition. Your doctor or caregiver may be required to fill out their own third-party function report. If you have a good relationship with your doctor, and they have monitored and overseen your condition, they may be able to truthfully and fill out this report with helpful details.
In some cases, you may still be required to go through a medical exam from a doctor the SSA trusts, to confirm your condition. An attorney can help walk you through this process and the required filings, appointments, and forms the SSA will need to approve your case.
Social Security Disability Lawyer in Fayetteville
Ken Kieklak is a Fayetteville disability attorney that may be able to help you file your SSD applications. If you were already denied SSD, Ken may be able to appeal the disability denial and fight to get you the benefits you need. For a free consultation on your disability case, call Ken Kieklak, Attorney at Law, today at (479) 316-0438.