Making Yourself Eligible for Social Security Disability

If you are just now embarking on the journey (and it can be a long journey for some) toward getting your social security disability or SSI disability benefits approved, you may have no idea what the requirements are for deciding disability claims. And this, of course, would be logical. Most individuals never even realize that the social security administration offers disability benefits, or administers two separate disability benefit programs, until they themselves become disabled and need to look for available avenues of assistance.

The process of applying for disability benefits is well-known to be a difficult one. It is not uncommon for people to wait months and even years before they are approved for their benefits. Most people who have investigated the process of filing for disability (by speaking with friends or relatives who have filed for benefits, or by conducting research online) have heard stories of people losing their homes, becoming bankrupt, and even passing away while they are waiting on their claims to be approved.

However, while the paperwork for initiating and filing a social security disability or SSI disability claim can seem complex, and the process itself can be draining, the truth is that the basic rules and requirements that govern one's eligibility are quite simple. Becoming eligible for disability benefits really boils down to two simple things: your medical records and your work skills.

The most important thing to know regarding medical record documentation is that it is not as simple as having your doctor write a note saying that you are disabled and unable to work. While this is helpful, your actual medical records are the most important factor by far, meaning that if your doctor has not properly documented the limitations caused by your condition in your medical records, you may still be denied.

For practicality's sake, your records should state what you can and cannot do, due to your disability. The doctor’s records, in an ideal sense, should be detailed enough that your functional limitations and remaining functional capacity are fairly clear to a disability adjudicator, such as an administrative law judge at a hearing, or a disability examiner if your case is pending at the initial claim or reconsideration level.

Typically, however, medical records fail to demonstrate this level of detail, simply because the vast majority of physicians do not dictate treatment notes with functional ability in mind. To remedy this lack of detail in the medical records as to what a patient is still capable of doing, or not doing, your doctor may fill out a medical source statement, a form which can allow your doctor to state in detail what your functional capabilities are. This form is also known as an RFC form, or residual functional capacity form. An RFC form can help your disability examiner, or your disability judge, arrive at a favorable decision on your claim for benefits.

Medical records, of course, are just one half of the documentation picture. To make yourself eligible for disability benefits from the social security administration, it is important to provide a clear and comprehensive look at your work history.

The Social Security administration will take a close look at the jobs you’ve held in the past 15 years, paying attention to the specific job skills you have acquired in each of the jobs you've performed (typically, the jobs you've worked in this fifteen year period for one year or longer). This information will help them to decide whether you are able, or unable, to work any of these past jobs, and also whether or not you are able to hold a new job--known as "other work"--that, based on your work skills, age, education, and residual functional capacity, you may be qualified for.

The process of filing for disability may seem daunting, but it can be much easier for disability claimants who supply sufficient documentation regarding their work and medical history.

The work history information, of course, must be submitted by the claimant at the time of application. To this end, a person who is scheduled for a disability interview may find it useful to write out in advance a list of their prior jobs, along with job titles, job descriptions, and the dates for each job worked.

Medical records, on the other hand, will be gathered by the social security administration. However, social security will gather this information based on the sources listed by a claimant at the time of application. Therefore, it may likewise be useful for a claimant who is scheduled for a disability interview to to write out in advance a list of their medical treatment sources, including names of hospitals and doctors, addresses of each, and the dates on which treatment was received.