Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits

Illinois Lawyer for Social Security Disability Benefits

In order to receive disability benefits, a person must first begin the process by completing an application. The initial Social Security Disability (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 individuals 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 knowing 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 processed by the local Social Security office in a timely manner.

We recommend applying over the Internet or possibly in person

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 Social Security disability 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. If a person is 50 years old or more or has an extensive medical and work history, it could take many 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 person's background, 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 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. The Social Security Administration (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 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 person'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.

Click here for 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.

Applied for disability benefits and waiting for a decision? We can help.

If you already applied for Social Security disability benefits and are waiting for a decision, we at Pearson Disability Law, LLC understand how frustrating the process can be. A case can take years to make its way through the system. A case will not even begin to be processed until it is forwarded to an adjudicator. Often times a case will sit at a district office for months on end before it is actually forwarded on to the correct person handling your case. Even if it is assigned to the correct adjudicator, documents continually get misplaced or lost. Dealing with the government on your own and waiting for your case to move forward can be a very stressful experience. We know because all we do is help people get disability benefits and it can be very difficult even for us.

You do not have to take on the government on your own! At Pearson Disability Law, LLC, we encourage applicants to get help as soon as possible. It is always best to put together a strong foundation right from the beginning.

If you would like to see whether our law firm can help you with your potential disability benefits claim, contact Pearson Disability Law, LLC at 312-999-0999 for a free consultation.

At Pearson Disability Law, LLC, we have years of experience focusing on helping people with disabilities obtain the benefits they deserve. Pearson Disability Law, LLC is a law firm that limits its practice to helping people obtain SSDI and SSI. By hiring a lawyer that has handled thousands of cases in court, you ensure that you are hiring someone with the experience and knowledge to put you in the best position to win your claim.

Obtaining disability benefits is not easy, even when hiring an attorney. At the application level, the government reports that approximately 70% of claims are denied. If your lawyer appeals the application denial, less than 10% of the appealed claims are approved. This means that the overwhelming majority of cases will have to be argued in front of an administrative law judge. At that level, it is crucial to have someone by your side who understands the system to put you in the best position for success.