Approximately 3.6 percent of the nearly four million residents who live in Arizona receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Thousands more will apply for Arizona Social Security Disability benefits this year. The problem is, the majority of these applicants will be denied during the initial stage of the application process, which takes Arizona Social Security Disability applicants about three to six months to complete. In fact, in the State of Arizona, about 60 percent of initial disability claims are denied by the SSA.
Applying For Disability Benefits in Arizona
Knowing how to apply for disability in Arizona goes a long way towards getting approval for financial assistance by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The first item on your to-do list is to file your claim before the deadline. Failing to follow the timeline established by the SSA means your claim gets dismissed and you have to start from scratch to file another claim. You also have to make sure your application is accurate and fully completed.
Before the pandemic, Arizona residents had the option to apply for disability at the closest Social Security office. Offices has slowly begun to reopen, but you may not be able to apply for financial assistance in person.
When the offices are fully open again, you have two choices to apply for disability in the Phoenix area:
Phoenix North
16241 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite B
Phoenix Downtown
250 N Seventh Ave., Suite 100
You can also apply for disability in Arizona by submitting an online application. Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Arizona residents have the option to apply for disability by phone at 800-772-1213. Submitting an online application might result in the faster processing of your disability claim.
Remember that knowing how to apply for disability in Arizona does not mean you automatically qualify for financial assistance. The SSA denies a majority of disability claims, which means you might have to go through the appeals process. You might also have to complete a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) assessment that measures your ability to complete ordinary job functions.
How To Qualify For SSDI In Arizona
When you apply for Social Security disability benefits in Arizona there are some requirements that you must meet before your application for benefits will be approved. There are three main requirements set by the SSA to qualify for SSDI:
Work Credits
Work credits are accrued through the amount of wages that you make. You can earn up to four credits per year. The amount of work credits that you need to quality for disability benefits depends on your age. The younger you are, the fewer work credits you will need.
Time Off Of Work
When you apply for Social Security disability benefits you must also expect that you won’t be able to work for at least a year because of the condition that you have or because of the symptoms of that condition which make it impossible for you to work.
Medical Requirements
The Social Security Administration awards disability benefits for more than 200 medical conditions. All of the conditions that qualify someone to receive disability benefits are listed in the SSA’s Blue Book.
Every listing that is in the Blue Book has a set of specific requirements created by the SSA. You will have to submit enough medical evidence with your application to show that you meet all of those requirement sin order to be eligible to have your application for benefits approved.
Meeting the SSA’s medical requirements is essential. But if you have a medical condition that isn’t listed in the Blue Book you still be able to qualify for benefits if you can prove that your condition is disabling.
Disability Hearings In Arizona
In order for most Social Security Disability applicants to obtain disability benefits, they must obtain a hearing before an administrative law judge. Depending on the area of Arizona that you live in, it can take anywhere from 461 to 476 days to be scheduled for a disability hearing.
The SSA office in charge of scheduling disability hearings is the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR). The area of Arizona that you live in determines which ODAR office handles your case and how long you will have to wait before your disability hearing is scheduled. The ODAR offices that handle the hearings for Arizona Social Security Disability applicants are as follows:
Phoenix, AZ ODAR
3737 North 7th Street
Siete Square, Suite 200
Phoenix, Arizona 85014
Telephone: (602) 640-2700
Fax: (602) 640-2165
It takes this office an average of 476 days to schedule a disability hearing and is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the following Social Security field offices:
- Apache Junction, AZ
- Chinle, AZ
- Colorado River Basin, AZ
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Mesa, AZ
- Phoenix Downtown, AZ
- Show Low, AZ
- Tuba City, AZ
Phoenix (North), AZ ODAR
18444 North 25th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85023
Telephone: (877) 784-3690
Fax: (602) 863-1024
The North Phoenix ODAR office is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the offices in:
- Glendale, AZ
- Phoenix North, AZ
- Prescott, AZ
The average processing time for this ODAR office is eleven months.
Tucson, AZ ODAR
Rio Nuevo Professional Plaza, Suite 265
201 N. Bonita Ave.
Tucson, Arizona 85745
Telephone: (520) 670-5840
Fax: (520) 670-6909
The Tucson office takes an average of 461 days to schedule a disability hearing and manages the disability hearings for the Social Security field offices located in:
- Casa Grande, AZ
- Douglas, AZ
- Globe, AZ
- Nogales, AZ
- Safford, AZ
- Sells, AZ
- Tucson, AZ
- Tucson (South), AZ
- Yuma, AZ
Disability Determination Services (DDS): Arizona
If you have yet to file for disability, you should do so as soon as you believe you qualify for disability benefits. Once your application has been submitted either online or in person at your local office, it will be reviewed by one of the DDS’s in AZ listed below. The DDS will make its decision based on the vocational factors and medical evidence you submitted.
4000 North Central Avenue
Suite 1800
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Telephone: 602-771-7100
5441 East 22nd Street
Suite 135
Tucson, Arizona 85711
Telephone: 520-790-2580
