When you sit down with an attorney to discuss your claim for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you can expect to receive legal advice on how to submit the most convincing claim.
Your legal counsel also will ensure you attach the proper paperwork to boost the chances of the Social Security Administration (SSA) approving your claim for financial assistance. An important part of the first meeting with a Social Security disability benefits lawyer is to learn what you should not do during the disability application process.
Reasons Why the SSA Denies Disability Claims
The SSA denies a majority of disability benefits applications for several reasons. Some of the reasons involve minor mistakes such as forgetting to sign the application, while other reasons are much more significant.
Fail to See a Physician
You need to meet with your doctor before you submit an SSDI claim. The most important documents that you attach to your claim are the medical records demonstrating you suffer from a disability.
You should include the results of diagnostic tests, as well as a detailed description of treatments and physical therapy sessions. Your physician is the most important advocate for you to receive Social Security Disability benefits.
If your physician refuses to support your claim, you should meet with another doctor who might agree to medically validate your claim.
Apply for the Wrong Program
Some applicants for SSDI benefits confuse SSDI with another program called Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Working with a Social Security disability lawyer can help you avoid this mistake.
SSI represents a program that helps adults and children that have low incomes and limited resources by sending monthly payments. SSDI provides compensation for American workers that cannot work because of a disabling medical condition.
Blank Section on the Application
Leaving a section blank on the application for SSDI benefits will force the SSA to deny your claim for financial assistance. In addition to helping you submit persuasive evidence, your Social Security attorney also ensures you submit a fully completed application.
If you need clarification about what to include in a section, your lawyer is there to walk you through the application process. The SSA also is available to answer any questions you might have concerning the application for SSDI benefits. Continue to Work
Remember that SSDI benefits help you financially because a disabling condition prevents you from working. If you continue to work and the SSA discovers you remain gainfully employed, the federal agency will deny your claim for financial assistance.
Before you file an SSDI claim, end the working relationship you have with your employer, as well as ask your employer to submit timekeeping records that prove you no longer work for the company. Copies of monthly bank statements verify you no longer earn income.
Submit a New Application
When Denied Because most SSDI applications come back denied by the SSA, you should prepare for the SSA to deny your application. However, this does not mean you file a new claim.
The SSA will deny your new claim if you are filing it for the same disability. Instead, your Social Security lawyer files an appeal for your denied original claim.
Did Not Work with a Social Security Disability Attorney
With the odds against you gaining approval for a claim filed during the SSD application process, you should contact a Social Security lawyer who can help you with the disability benefits application.
Not working with an attorney is a recipe for failure, from making mistakes on the application to continuing to work while the SSA reviews your claim.
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