Cook County Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits Application Attorney

Lawyer for SSDI Applications in Illinois

In order to receive disability benefits, a claimant must first begin the process by completing an application. The initial SSDI application can be completed in person at a local Social Security District Office, by mail, over the phone, or via the internet. We strongly encourage claimants to initiate the disability process in person or over the internet. If you apply with Social Security over the phone, there is no real way of telling what information the government is actually taking from you and putting into your record until the application is fully completed. Also, if you complete a paper application there is a strong likelihood that it will either get lost in the mail or fail to be timely processed by the local Social Security office. Applying for Social Security disability benefits in person insures that you are physically right next to the application and know what information is or is not part of your new claim file. Completing an online application is our law firm's recommended method when filing for Social Security disability. It saves time, is extremely convenient, and gives our Social Security disability lawyers the ability to completely control how the file is created and with what information.

What Information Is Needed to Apply for Social Security Disability Benefits?

The time it takes to complete the SSDI application varies depending on the method you are using to initiate the application and the individual. We find that the fastest method to complete the disability application is over the internet, while the slowest is filling out a paper application and having to mail it in to Social Security. A claimant with an extensive medical and work history, such as person who is over the age of 50, could take numerous hours to complete the application. Someone with a limited work history and few medical providers may be able to complete the items necessary for applying for Social Security disability in an hour.

Regardless of the claimant's background, an applying for Social Security disability will be more precise and go much quicker if you have all of the required information readily available. A large portion of the application asks a claimant for specific medical information. The medical section will ask for information related to the doctors, clinics, and hospitals that you have gone to for treatment and the medications that you are taking. SSA will want the names, addresses, phone numbers, and dates for your medical treatment. Be as specific as you can when filing for Social Security disability. SSA will use this information to eventually attempt to gather your medical records. The problem is that they do a very poor job of gathering records. The less information SSA has been provided with, the more likely they will fail to gather your records thereby increasing your likelihood of being denied.

Another section of the SSDI application is for a claimant's work history. Make sure to have readily available the kinds of jobs you have worked over the past fifteen years and what tasks you had to do at each of them. Ultimately, SSA will want to know if the limitations for your physical or mental condition prevents you from doing your past work.

While medical information and work history are large sections of the application, SSA will need other more basic information from you as well. This information will include your educational history, personal information, and to a lesser extent some financial questions. Read more Social Security Disability application tips.

If you live in Illinois and would like the contact information for your local Social Security office, visit the SSA website. Contact Pearson Disability Law, LLC at 312-999-0999 for a free consultation.