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How to Apply
You should apply for disability benefits as soon as you become disabled. When you are ready, you can:

• Complete your application online.
• Call the Social Security toll-free telephone number, 1-800-772-1213. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can call at TTY 1-800-325-0778. A Social Security representative is available Mon.-Fri. between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
• Call or visit your local Social Security office.

You should have the following items before you apply. If you don't have everything, a representative in the Social Security office can help you get what you need.

• your Social Security card or a record of your Social Security number;
  
• your birth certificate or other proof of your age. If you do not have a birth certificate, you may request one from the state where you were born.
• information about the home where you live, such as your mortgage or your lease and landlord's name;
  
• payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, burial fund records, and other information about your income and the things you own;
  
• if you're signing up for disability, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals, and clinics that have seen you; and
  
• proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status.
  
• your checkbook to request direct deposit of your benefits.

How long do benefits last?
Benefits usually continue until you are able to work again on a regular basis. Your case will be reviewed from time to time. There are also a number of special rules, called "work incentives," that provide continued benefits and health care coverage to help you make the transition back to work.

What happens if I am approved?
If your application is approved, your first Social Security benefit will be paid beginning with the sixth full month after the date Social Security finds that your disability began. The amount of your monthly disability benefit is based on your lifetime average earnings covered by Social Security. (Use the S.S. online Benefit Calculators to determine how much you would get.

What are the chances of receiving benefits?
Good, if you are willing to be persistent. Two out of three persons who apply for disability benefits are initially rejected. If you appeal an initial rejection, your chances of obtaining benefits improve. In 1999, over half of disability cases that were appealed to an administrative law judge were won by beneficiaries. Appeals must be filed within 60 days of receiving a notice of determination. Read What you can do if your application for benefits is turned down.

If I have other questions, where do I go for answers?
Call the Social Security Hotline at 1-800-772-1213 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST weekdays. The best times to call are early in the morning and early in the evening.

Source: Social Security

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Page updated December 1, 2009