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Questions to Ask before Applying for Disability

March 2, 2015 Blog

Questions You Should Ask before Applying for Disability

If you are disabled and cannot work, you may want to know about the programs run by the Social Security Administration designed to help people in your situation. There are two such programs; which one will be most applicable to you depends on your circumstances. Discuss the details with your St. Petersburg social security disability attorney.

You must have a severe medical problem or impairment. It must be so severe that you are completely unable to work at any sort of job, not just a physically strenuous one. The impairment can be either a physical or mental impairment, but your St. Petersburg social security disability attorney will tell you that it is more difficult to win disability on the basis of mental impairments because they are much more difficult to prove.

You must have sought treatment for your medical condition and your treatment history must be substantiated with medical records. Your medical history is key to establishing your claim; it does no good to claim that you have a severe medical impairment that you have never seen a doctor about. If you have just recently suffered your injury or only recently sought medical attention for your condition, your St. Petersburg social security disability attorney may advise you that it may be better to wait until you have an official diagnosis and treatment plan for your condition before trying to file for disability.

Your doctor’s opinion should be able to support your claim. Although your medical records are crucial to establishing that you are disabled, they do not necessarily answer the central question of whether you are able to work. For that, the SSA might request specific information from your treating physician or therapist. If you have a good relationship with your doctor, they will be more likely to fill out this paperwork and send it in.

The process to winning disability benefits can be confusing and complicated. For more information about Social Security disability, contact a St. Petersburg social security disability lawyer at Mike Murburg, PA, by calling (877) 774-2889.