Applying For Adult Disability Benefits – What to Gather Before Your Interview
The application process involves a lot of legwork. You can help speed up the process by gathering all the information that will be needed during your intake interview ahead of time. Below is a list of items that you will need to have documented.
Medical Information - You will need to have the names and contact information of all of the doctors that you have seen because of your disability including: name, address, and phone number of doctors and clinics you have visited; patient ID number(s); dates of visits; list of medications that you are currently taken or have taken; and any medical records that you have in your possession. You will also need to fill out and sign medical information release forms so that the Social Security Administration will be able to access your medical history.
Citizenship - An authorized copy of your birth certificate. You can get this from you town hall in the records department. Make sure you get a "certified" or "authorized" copy and not just a photocopy. An authorized copy will most likely be on special colored paper with embossing or a raised seal. If you were born in another country you will also need to bring with you proof of your citizenship or legal residency like a green card.
Military Service - If you served in the military you will need to bring with you the original or certified copy of your Form DD 214 (military discharge papers) for all of the periods of time that you were on active duty. Again photocopies are not acceptable.
Income Verification - You will also need to bring in proof of your income such as your W-2’s, 1040s, 1099s, Schedules C and SE from the previous year or two years.
Workers’ Compensation Information – Bring copies of all of the workers’ compensation paperwork that you filed when you first got injured including: date of injury, claim number, and proof of payment amounts.
Social Security Information – Have ready the Social Security numbers of you, your spouse, and your children (if applicable). This can be simply a list of names and numbers, but you may also want to have a photocopy of everyone’s Social Security cards available as well, especially your own Social Security card. If you have lost these cards you can fill out a form to request a new one. The form is available both at the Social Security office and online.
Financial Information – The Social Security Administration will also need to know about all of your financial accounts like checking accounts, savings accounts, retirement accounts, stocks and bonds, real estate etc. Have a list of account types, locations, and amounts available as well as the monthly statements from these accounts from at least the last three months prior to your application.
Alternative Contact Information – Have a list of one or two people that the Social Security Administration can contact in case they are unable to reach you for some reason.
Work History – You will also need to list your work history for the last fifteen years with as much detail as you can remember. You will, at the very least, need to list the types of jobs that you did and the dates that you did them before becoming disabled. This will help determine the impact your disability really has had on your ability to do work.