The Social Security disability claims process can be very complicated and detailed. As you have probably heard many times before, documentation is the key to having an effective claim.
Making sure you have all your documents in order plays a major role in determining whether your claim is approved. In order to prove your case, you must provide detailed documentation and extensive paperwork, which your attorney can help you with so you can support your disability claim.
Gathering the Paperwork
When you hire an advocate or an attorney, you will be required to sign a medical privacy release that will allow your advocate or attorney to access your medical records. Usually, your attorney or advocate pays for these records and continues to do so until your case concludes.
You will then be billed for the costs of acquiring these records. Because Social Security usually decides the kind of exam that is needed to win your disability claim, the attorney will carefully go over your medical records so there can be a determination made if you need additional testing to support your claim.
Getting Medical Documentation Together
Your attorney will gather medical documentation, ask doctors for supportive statements on our functional limitations, and determine which medical records are relevant to submit to the administrative law judge who will be hearing your appeal. Your attorney will also determine what should be done with bad evidence that could have a negative impact on your case.
Your attorney may even ask the Social Security Administration (SSA) to schedule a consultative examination with one of their doctors to get the needed testing completed if needed to be done.
Financial Documentation
A successful claim must have some financial documentation in order. You will need to provide some pay stubs and possibly tax returns that show how much your regular income has been throughout the years and how your income has dropped since your disability came into condition.
These financial documents are needed to show that you are not partaking of substantial gainful activity (SGA) at this point so you meet the requirements for approval for disability benefits. While your attorney can gather a lot of paperwork and documentation for you, there are some pieces of documentation such as pay stubs that you will need to gather yourself.
Consulting with an Attorney or Advocate
If you are ready to file for Social Security disability, you should schedule a consultation with a Social Security disability attorney or advocate who is experienced in dealing with such claims and gathering all the appropriate paperwork. Having the right documentation and experienced representation to help you win your claim.
Ask your advocate or attorney what documents you need to gather and what documents they will collect in support of your claim so you can be properly prepared and your odds of getting approved for benefits can be increased significantly. The claims process can be lengthy and complicated, but an advocate or attorney can impact your case’s outcome.
