Your ailment is worse than you imagined and prevents you from working. It will take some time to recover, or you may never recover at all. Clearly, you understand that you are a candidate for Social Security disability (SSD) benefits.
Guidance is essential in this matter as you want to increase your chances of receiving these much-needed benefits. This is why you cannot afford to make mistakes.
Assuming eligibility
Here are some of the mistakes often made by people who apply for SSD benefits:
- Presuming you are eligible: There are a few major factors, including whether you have been paying into the Social Security system, and if the duration of your employment allowed you to gain enough work credits. Finally, you must have a qualifying ailment that prevents you from working for at least a year.
- Assuming you will receive the benefits: On average, the Social Security Administration (SSA) denied 67% of SSD applications during the 10-year period from 2010 to 2019. Also, an average of 21% of applicants were successful in receiving benefits after making their initial claims. The SSA deemed an additional 10% of applicants eligible after reconsiderations and appeals.
- Not being organized with documents: Proper documentation is essential, otherwise, the SSA may deny your claim. Your list of documents should include those related to your medical records, doctor visits, surgeries and any accident reports.
You must stay out of your own way. To do that, do some personal research and seek advice from a skilled attorney.
Avoiding obstacles
Your illness or injury represents an obstacle that prevents you from working. You want to avoid any additional obstacles such as making mistakes when seeking to SSD benefits.