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You want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to ensure that your claim will be processed accurately and quickly. Keeping a good record or journal of the symptom(s) and illness or injury(ies) and how it affects your daily activities before you apply is essential to helping your claim. More importantly, making your doctor(s) and specialist(s) aware of these symptoms and injuries as soon as they occur is vital to proving your disability before the Social Security Administration. If you have a disability, illness, or ailment that your doctor isn’t aware of and that isn’t medically documented, you have NO CLAIM before SSA! 1. Document Your Symptoms Document your symptoms early and often using a calendar to jot down brief notes about how you feel each day. Be specific in recording any of your usual activities that you can no longer do. Remember to include any psychological (emotional or mental) difficulties. 2. Help Your Doctor Help You Not all doctors are aware of the kind of information SSA needs to document a disability. Ask your doctor to track the course of symptoms in detail overtime and to keep a thorough record of any evidence of fatigue, depression, forgetfulness, dizziness, and other hard-to-document symptoms. Note that by “doctor,” SSA means a medical doctor (your primary care physician-general medicine) or osteopath, also known as an acceptable medical source by SSA. 3. Record How Your Condition Affected You on the Job If you were working, but lost your job because of your illness or injury, make notes that describe what it is about your condition that forced you to stop working.
· List of employers you worked for over the past ten (10) years, the dates you worked for them and your yearly earnings. · Your Social Security statement. The SSA mails an earnings statement to working Americans each year. If you don’t have your Social Security statement, you can request it here. · Your medical diagnosis (when applicable, list multiple conditions) · The type(s) of doctor(s) whom you see, including specialists’ names, phone numbers, and dates of last visits pertaining to your disability. · Hospital or medical center where you were admitted or received medical treatment. · How long your condition has kept you from working and dates when you became disabled (month and year) · General list of restrictions/limitations your doctor discussed with you · List of prescription medications/medications to treat your condition · Any Worker’s Compensation, state disability, SSA retirement, unemployment benefits or long-term disability (if applicable) you are receiving · Your Veteran status (if applicable) · Any monies owed to back taxes, child support, student loans in default or bankruptcy that has not been discharged |
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Disclaimer: We are independent benefit consultants or non-attorney representatives authorized by law to represent claimants before the Social Security Administration from the Initial application to the Administrative Law Judge Hearing level. We are in no way directly affiliated with the Social Security Administration.
©2007-2008 Morning Star Disability Advocates, Inc. All rights reserved.
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