SSDI Application Assistance

[Guest guest]

Got this info from one of my other groups and thought some might find it

helpful.

I had no trouble getting it....just be honest when filing for SSDisability.

Meaning do not say you can do such and such when in actuallity it is hard for

you.

& ! nbsp; .Applying for SSDI

Social Security Disability Insurance

The following is Social Security Disability information I've collected over the

Internet and through friends. This is for information purposes only, not legal

advice. Compiled by Linie

Social Security Disability Information

What is Social Security Disability?

Disability is the " inability to to do any substantial gainful activity " by

reason of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment:

.. which can be expected to result in death; or

.. which has lasted or can be expected to last for a period of not less than

twelve months.

The claimant must have a severe impairment that makes the claimant unable to do

the claimant's previous job or any other substantial gainful activity which

exists in the national economy. Further, recent law has generally made a

requirement of Citizenship. To determine if the claimant can do any other work,

the Social Security Administration will consider the claimant's residual

functional capacity, age, education and work experience. A determination by

another agency that an applicant is disabled will impact a claim. If found

disabled by some other non- governmental or governmental agency, the evidence

toward that finding is important.

The Social Security Administration determines disability by a five step process:

1.. The claimant must have no substantial gainful activity.

2.. The claimant must have a severe impairment. If work is not being

performed, Social Security will initially look at any physical or mental

impairments to determine whether one is disabled or blind.

3.. The analysis generally ends if the claimant meet or equal a listing of

impairments. The listings are medically determinable criteria, for a presumptive

finding of disability. If the claimant does not meet or equal a listing, the

analysis goes to steps 4 and 5.

4.. The claimant's impairment must prevent the claimant from working

previous employment over the past fifteen years.

5.. The impairment must be so severe that any other work which exists in the

national economy cannot be performed.This analysis at steps four and five depend

on the claimant's residual functional capacity

There are several forms of Social Security disability, including Disability

Insurance Benefits, Widow's Benefits, and Supplemental Social Security Income

(SSI). Social Security, however, no longer grants disability based solely on

drug or alcohol addiction or, generally, to non-citizens. There are also

children's benefits, which have been subject to recent changes. Social Security

may also be available to those disabled by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or

Fibromyalgia. The claimant needs to provide evidence to Social Security. Social

Security will generally not pay for getting all the medical evidence they need

to decide a case.

Impairment

Any impairment must be a medical, anatomical, physiological or psychological

abnormality that can be shown by a medically acceptable clinical and laboratory

diagnostic technique. Physical or mental impairments must be established by

medical evidence consisting of signs, symptoms and laboratory findings, not only

by the claimant's symptoms. Symptoms are a description of physical or mental

impairments. An individuals statement alone is not enough to establish that

there is a physical or mental impairment. Signs are anatomical, physiological or

psychological abnormalities which can be observed separate from a statements

(symptoms). Signs must be shown by medically acceptable clinical diagnostic

techniques. Psychiatric signs are medically demonstrable phenomena which

indicates specific abnormalities of behavior, affect thought, memory,

orientation and contact with reality. They must also be shown to be observable

facts that can be medically described and evaluated. Laboratory findings are

anatomical, physiological, or psychological phenomena which can be shown through

the use of medically acceptable laboratory diagnostic techniques. Some of the

techniques include chemical tests, electrophysiological studies,

electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram and psychological tests. The kind of

evidence that needs to be supplied to Social Security must show an impairment

and how severe it is during the period it is said that one is disabled.

Remember, the Social Security Administration will only consider the impairments

that one says they have or about which they receive evidence, with a possible

exception of those who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome " CFIDS " or perhaps

Fibromyalgia. Social Security can help get medical evidence and reports when

giving SS permission to request such from your doctors.

In almost every case, no matter what the disease is, the answer is the same -

" Maybe, it just depends upon how badly you are affected by the disease. " One

example might be cancer. The word " cancer " is scary to anyone, but there are

many cancers which can be treated and cured very quickly, with little or no

lasting effect. On the other hand, of course, there are cancers which cause

great suffering and ultimately death. The question in each individual case is

" How sick is this particular individual with cancer and how long is this person

going to remain sick? " Skin diseases are another example. The vast majority of

skin diseases, while annoying, would not be considered to be disabling. On the

other hand, there are some uncommon, very severe skin problems which are clearly

disabling. In extreme cases, psoriasis, which is not rare, may be disabling.

Thus, almost without exception, the mere fact that an individual has a disease

with a certain name does not guarantee that the individual either will or will

not be found disabled. It all depends upon how sick the person is.

Listings for Adults

The listings are medically determinable criteria you generally must be very ill

to meet or equal these listings. If you do not meet or equal a listing, you go

to the next step. Included below are the adult listings. While these listings

were updated recently, this page cannot verify that the listings are exact and

to date. The listings may be looked up at 20 C.F.R. Section 404 Subpart P

Appendix I:

Part A . Sec.

1.00 Musculoskeletal System.

2.00 Special Senses and Speech.

3.00 Respiratory System.

4.00 Cardiovascular System.

5.00 Digestive System. including liver disease 5.05 (see below)

************** See this

6.00 Genito-Urinary System.

7.00 Hemic and Lymphatic System.

8.00 Skin.

9.00 Endocrine System and Obesity.

11.00 Neurological.

12.00 Mental Disorders. (see below)

13.00 Neoplastic Diseases, Malignant.

14.00 Immune System. ************ ????

Residual Function

Residual Function: The residual functional evaluation based on your age,

education and work experience, that helps them make this determination in steps

four and five, and it is defined by the limitations that your impairments have

on you. The impairments may be assessed either from a physical or mental

standpoint. The evaluation is made ultimately by Social Security. However, when

your treating physician(s) hold an opinion on how you are functioning,

particularly if the treatment is over a long period with sustained contact,

Social Security will give the opinion(s) great weight.

What a " medical functional capacity assessment " describes. This assessment

describes an individual medical ability to do work-related activities such as

sitting, standing, moving about, lifting, carrying, handling objects, hearing,

speaking a mental impairment, the medical assessment will include your ability

to reason or make occupational, personal or social adjustments. The medical

evidence must be complete enough to allow the Social Security Administration to

determine the nature and limiting affects of impairments for any period in

question, the probable duration of individual impairments and an individual

residual functional capacity to do work-related physical or mental activities.

Information from other sources may help an individual to understand how an

impairment affects ability to work. Some other sources that may help are: public

and private social welfare agencies, observations by non-medical sources and

other practitioners such as chiropractors, audiologists, etc. If a family

medical doctor writes a letter that an individual is totally and permanently

disabled, it will not help one receive benefits that is for Social Security to

conclude. The report must contain all of the items covered under what a medical

report should include (i.e, history, clinical findings, laboratory findings,

diagnosis, treatment, medical assessment). It must be complete. Social Security

will use the doctor's reports as evidence to make their determination, but not

for its conclusion.

Burden of Proof

The burden is, generally speaking, on the claimant. Attention should be brought

to the Social Security administration illustrating everything that shows

disability. The Social Security Administration will consider all relevant

information they receive from the applicant. If the information is not present

in the claimant's file (or the tape of the testimony) then it is not considered.

The opinion by a claimant's frequently treating doctor, with objective tests for

impairment, over a long period of time is given more evidentiary value than the

opinion of consultative examiners. Specialists are given more weight than

generalists on specified topics of impairments. Once the claimant shows that the

impairment limits to the extent that the claimant cannot perform past relevant

work, than the burden shifts to Social Security to show that the claimant cannot

perform any significant and competitive work in the national economy.

Evidence

The claimant should provide Social Security with information about age,

education and training, work experience, daily activities both before and after

the date of disability, efforts to work and any other evidence showing how

impairments affect the ability to work. The Social Security Administration

accepts evidence from reports from acceptable medical sources.

The medical sources that are acceptable are: licensed physicians, osteopaths,

certified psychologists, optometrists for measurement of visual acuity and

visual fields (they may need a report from a physician to determine other

aspects of eye disease); and individuals authorized to send them a copy or

summary of the medical records of a hospital, clinic, sanitarium, medical

institution, or health-care facility.

Generally.........

http://pbcers.org/SSD-ALL.htm