Social security disability process steps

What are the steps in the disability process? The disability claims process begins by starting down the path of the evaluation steps. These evaluation steps are about you, your work history, and your disability. But all five steps may not be needed in your case.

Disability Application Process Initial Application.

They may also ask that you see one of their doctors. Are you engaing in SGA? Do you have a severe impairment? If no your not disabled.

There is no benefit to having an attorney unless a person is at the hearing level. People who have filed a request for a hearing have a greater chance of being approved if they have an attorney who is knowledgeable about social security law. The five steps in the disability determination for SSDI or SSI benefit claims.

In general, we pay monthly benefits to people who are unable to work for a year or more because of a disability.

Field offices implement step of the five-step disability determination process , and DDS agencies are responsible for the medical determinations at steps 2–5. The evaluation process is known as the five-step sequential evaluation process. Each step can be expressed in the form of a question asked by the adjudicator about an individual applying for disability.

It’s a sequential metho meaning the steps are followed in order. If at any step in the process the SSA’s decision-makers decide you are disabled ― or not ― the evaluation ends. Assuming you meet the qualification requirements and you indeed do have a severe enough disability , the next step in the process is to actually fill out an application for benefits.

Each step is a question geared to determine the significance and measure of your impairment, as it affects your ability to work full time. It is a sequential process , meaning that if at any step you are determined. Social Security uses the same medical determination process for both SSI and SSD. What does “substantial gainful activity” (SGA) mean?

This means that you have worked and earned money during the time prior to your disability. There are three main steps to the SSDI claim process, although not all applicants will need to process through each stage. Evaluate Severity of Medical Condition to Blue Book Listing.

Work Activity and Income. There are four stages for SSDI and SSI applications: Initial, Reconsideration, Hearing, and Appeals Council. These steps are the same for both SSI and SSDI applicants.

When your first apply for disability benefits, you complete an Initial application. The SSD benefits application process can be lengthy, and strict time limits apply. A person who believes he or she suffers from a qualifying disability should begin the process of applying for benefits as soon as possible. Reconsiderations make take another two months of processing time, while the wait for a hearing date in front of a judge can take more than two years. Step 2: Severe Impairment.

The Reconsideration Process. Reconsideration is the first step in the appeals process for a claimant who is dissatisfied with the initial determination on his or her claim, or for individuals (e.g. auxiliary claimants) who show that their rights are adversely affected by the initial determination. It also describes the roles of the different components involved. After an application for disability benefits is made to social security , the case is transferred to the state agency responsible for making disability determinations, DDS.

There, it is assigned to a disability examiner who will evaluate the claim. This is where the disability process really begins.