B.Applying for Disability Benefits

CHAPTER 2  |  APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS  |  29



TIP

The Social Security Administration

has a helpful website filled with useful information

and up-to-date rules and regulations for disability

claimants at www.ssa.gov. Another useful website,

disabilitysecrets.com, is one of Nolo’s partners.



Applying Over the Phone

If you prefer, you can call the SSA at

800-772-1213 to file an application. This

is especially convenient if you live some

distance from the nearest Field Office or

contact station (you can find the location

of the nearest SSA facility by calling the

800 number listed above). If you need help,

a family member, caseworker, or other

representative can contact the SSA for

you. You do not have to give that person a

power of attorney—the authority to sign

legal documents and make legal decisions

for you—to help you obtain an application

form and file a claim.

If you cannot go to the Social Security

office because of poor health, or if there is

no Social Security office nearby, you can

get full information and application forms

by making an appointment for a telephone

interview. Even if you cannot get to the

Field Office to file an application (due to

illness, lack of transportation, or whatever

other reason), an SSA representative can do

the interview over the telephone.



You can speed up the processing of your

claim by being as prepared as possible before

contacting the SSA Field Office. Remember

that the SSA is a huge and complex bureau­

cracy that needs a lot of information about

you. If you do some basic preparation, the

whole process can proceed smoothly. On the

other hand, do not wait until you have every

conceivable detail ready for review before you

contact the Field Office.

You are responsible for submitting the

necessary evidence to support your claim

of disability (see Chapter 5). The Social

Security office will assist you by telling

you what evidence is required to establish

your claim and how you can obtain that

evidence. If you can’t get the necessary

evidence, the Social Security office will offer

special assistance, based upon your needs,

to ensure the proper resolution of the claim.

Never assume that the claims represent­

ative can read your mind if you have a special

problem regarding your application. If you

have some concern, mention it. SSA claims

representatives are instructed to help you if

they can reasonably solve a problem that is

related to your application.

For example, if a claimant cannot read

or write, the claims representative will

provide assistance in completing the forms.

In addition, the SSA Field Office will

provide an interpreter if you need language

assistance. The SSA uses whatever qualified

interpreters or interpreter services are most

appropriate to the situation and are most

reliable and readily available.



30  |  NOLO’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY



Applying Online

You can apply for SSDI benefits online at

www.ssa.gov. Before you fill out the online

application, use the Benefit Eligibility

Screening Tool (BEST) at https://ssabest.

benefits.gov. This tool helps you identify all

the different Social Security programs for

which you may be eligible, and should be

used before you start the application process.

The SSA’s website also has a number of useful

links to planners, calculators, and additional

information about the disability program.

When you are ready to apply, go to www.

socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability to get

started. The SSA will guide you through the

three-step process, in which you’ll:

• review the Adult Disability Starter Kit,

which answers common questions

about applying for benefits and includes

a worksheet to help you gather the

information you’ll need

• fill out the online application for Social

Security benefits, and



Furthermore, the SSA maintains cooperative relationships with many groups and

organizations that provide assistance with

the application process. Each SSA office

maintains a list of the agencies (both public and private) in the community and the

types of services provided by each. If you

inquire, you can immediately be referred to

an agency providing the needed services.



• fill out the online Adult Disability

Report.

One of the nice things about an online

application is that you can work at your

own speed. If you don’t have some needed

information, for example, you can stop

your application and return to it later

where you stopped. The SSA will issue

a confirmation number you can use to

reaccess your application information. Your

application is confidential.

If you decide you need help applying

online or simply decide to apply in a

different way, it is no problem. The SSA

displays contact telephone numbers right

on the application page. Representatives

are available Monday through Friday.

For many people, however, an online

application is a very attractive alternative

to going to a Social Security Field Office in

person or applying over the telephone.



1. Your Application

If you are applying for adult disability

offline, the SSA will send you Form SSA3368-BK, Adult Disability Report, to begin

the process. We include a sample filled-in

form below. (If you are applying for a child,

you will receive Form SSA-3820-BK, Child

Disability Report. See Chapter 3 for a sample

of that form.)







When you arrive at the Social Security

Field Office for an interview, the official

will ask you many questions. Your answers

will be put on either Form SSA-16-BK

(Application for Disability Insurance Benefits)

or Form SSA-8000-BK (Application for SSI).

Take a look at the appropriate samples

below before you head out to the Social

Security office or have your interview. That

way you can gather in advance as much

infor­mation and paperwork as possible.

Don’t worry if you can’t answer every

question or find all documents; the claims

representative or interviewer will help you.

Realize, however, that if you don’t have key

information with you at the time of your

interview (see just below), you might have to

get it and send it in to the SSA office. This

could delay the processing of your appli­ca­

tion. You should be aware that various SSA

forms for filing online, such as the SSA3368-BK adult application form, will look

different than the paper forms. However, the

information required is the same.



CAUTION

You must use forms provided by

the SSA. You can obtain them at your local

SSA Field Office or by calling the SSA hotline at

800-772-1213, Monday through Friday (except

holidays), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are deaf or

hard of hearing, TTY service representatives are

available at the same times at 800-325-0778. You

can also download many necessary forms from

the Social Security Administration website at

www.ssa.gov.



CHAPTER 2  |  APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS  |  31



2. What the SSA Needs to

Process Your Claim

The SSA needs several types of information

to process your disability claim.

a. Social Security Number and

Birth Certificate



The SSA needs your Social Security number

and birth certificate or other proof of your

age. You will also need to provide the Social

Security numbers and birth certificates for

family members—such as a disabled adult

child—who are applying for benefits on

your earnings record.

If you submit an original record of some

kind, the SSA will return it to you after

making a copy. If you cannot or do not

want to submit an original record, you can

offer a copy, if it is properly certified. You

can obtain a properly certified copy from

any of the following:

• the official custodian of the record

• an SSA employee authorized to certify

copies, who can certify that the copy is

an exact reproduction of an original

• a U.S. consular officer or employee of

the State Department authorized to

certify evidence received outside the

United States, or

• an employee of a state agency or state

welfare office authorized to certify

copies of original records in the agency’s

or office’s files.



32  |  NOLO’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY



Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (SSI) (Page 1)



William I. Hamilton



999-99-9999



P.O. Box 24007

Chicago



IL



60681



WIH@yahoo.com

515-123-4567



515-123-5678

3



3

3

3



Payne, Mildred



Cousin

515-123-6789



456 Center Street, #112

Chicago



IL



60692

3



CHAPTER 2  |  APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS  |  33







Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 2)



3



Arthritis right shoulder

Liver problems (cirrhosis)

Cataracts

Nervous

Back pain

510

176

3



3



10/12/2015

3



35/8/2015



34  |  NOLO’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY



Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 3)



3



3

June 1990

3



3

Electrician Helper



Electrician Helper



Utility



9/1996 10/2015



1993



8



6



$25



hr



CHAPTER 2  |  APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS  |  35







Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 4)



3



Numerous duties, including assisting in installation and repair of electric power equipment,

underground cable and related activities



3

3

3



6–8

6–8

0–1



3

2–3

2–3



3



1–2



6–8

6–8

6–8



Heavy machine parts, electrical cable, worked with heavy equipment like transformers,

rigged scaffolding & hoists. Carried heavy objects 50–1,000 ft most of day



3



3

3



3

3



36  |  NOLO’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY



Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 5)



3



Aldactone





Dr. Simmons



Remove excess fluid

in abdomen



Xanax



Dr. Hill



nervousness



Ibuprofen



Dr. Bates



back pain



3



3



CHAPTER 2  |  APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS  |  37







Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 6)



Midwest Orthopedics



David Bates, M.D.



312-555-1234



none



2325 Front Street

Chicago



IL



May 2013



none



unknown



November 2015

June 12, 2016

Low back pain caused by arthritis and disk disease. Arthritis shoulder



Physical therapy, light exercise, training proper posture



3

Back, shoulder



2013



38  |  NOLO’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY



Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 7)



The Gastroenterology Clinic



John Simmons, M.D.



312-555-9999



512488



17 Outer Loop Drive

Chicago



January 2012



IL



60686



none



11-2012



12-2012



August 2015

February 2016

Liver problem--cirrhosis



Surgical shunt to decrease fluid pressure in liver; abdominal fluid drained



32012



✓

Liver2012

3





Abdomen



2012



CHAPTER 2  |  APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS  |  39







Form SSA-3368-BK, Disability Report—Adult (Page 8)



Mental Health Associates, Inc.



Henry Hill, M.D.



312-555-6789

4800 State Building, Ste. 43

Chicago



IL



60686



June 2012

December 2013

June 2016

Nervousness



Talk about how to handle nervousness. Took pill for nerves a few months, not now.



3

mental tests



2012