Updates from March, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Disability Group 3:16 pm on March 8, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    File for Disability – Links to Application Forms

    By: Disability Group (http://www.socialsecuritylaw.com)

    If you are filing for social security disability benefits you can do most of the application work online. We’ve put together links to the most commonly used forms required to file a disability benefits claim.  (If you have questions on how to fill out the paperwork, feel
    free to contact our office at (800) 248-1100 or get a free case evaluation at: http://www.socialsecuritylaw.com/free-consultation/.)

    If you believe you are eligible for disability benefits, you should file an application as soon as possible to preserve your application date.

    It’s important to be thorough with your forms and list everything accurately the first time to save time in the application process.  Social Security offices are under severe backlogs, you don’t want to fall further behind by making a mistake on your disability application or leaving information out.

    When answering form questions it is important to be very specific about what you can and cannot do, as well as how your disability affects your capabilities.  Your answers on these forms will be used in your claim later.

    To apply for disability benefits online, you can start here: Disability Application Checklist

    SSA-3373 Function Report-Adult:  http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-3373.pdf
    This form tells Social Security what functions you can do and how your disability affects your daily activity.

    SSA-3380 Function Report Adult-Third Party Form:  http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-3380.pdf
    This form is used when applying for disabilities on another person’s behalf.

    SSA-3369 Work History Report:  http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-3369.pdf
    Social Security uses this report to determine what jobs you performed in the past. Remember, even if you are no longer able to do the work you did previously, you still may not be considered disabled if there are other jobs you can still perform.

    If you are filling out paperwork on your own, remember that over 70% of initial applications are denied. Unfortunately many legitimate disability claims have to be appealed all the way to an Administrative Law Judge before being rewarded.  The best strategy is to make sure you have the most accurate and detailed forms as possible so that your claim can be handled in a timely manner.

    Disability Group has put together a quick 4 step questionnaire to help you determine if you may qualify for social security disability benefits.

    Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011
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  • Disability Group 10:00 am on February 2, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    How to Prove Pain in a Social Security Disability Case 

    What is the Social Security Administration trying to do in my disability case?

    The Social Security Administration’s main goal is to decide whether you are able to work, doing either your past job or any type of job.


    Does the Social Security Administration (SSA) consider the pain I am in when deciding whether to award me disability benefits?

    In many cases, it is the person’s pain that makes them unable to work full time. Pain is subjective, meaning it cannot be measured and everyone’s tolerance for pain differs. Pain can limit what you can do, which can be measured. For example you cannot lift more than 5 pounds, sit for more than 30 minutes or walk farther than 50 yards. These are examples of “exertional limitations.”


    What happens if my pain is just there, and isn’t from doing something (walking, sitting etc.) so it cannot be measured?

    The SSA recognizes that chronic pain and non-exertional pain (pain not from doing something) exists and can limit what you can do at a job.  The SSA looks at a number of different things to decide the effect of pain on your ability to work:

    • They look at your daily activities.
    • They look at the location of your pain, how often and how long you have pain, and how intense the pain feels.
    • They look at what makes the pain appear and what makes the pain worsen.
    • They look at the medications you take and what effects the medications may have.
    • They look at what you do in order to make the pain go away or lessen (lying flat, using heat or ice, etc.).
    • They look at how your activity is limited because of your pain.


    What can I do to prove my pain affects my being able to work?

    1)     Be SPECIFIC when describing your pain.

    Don’t say,” I hurt all over and I am in constant pain.” Rather say, “I have extreme pain in my lower back. On a scale from 1 to 10 my lower back is a 5, but if I walk or stand for more than 20 minutes, the pain jumps to an 8 or 9. The pain stays that way until I take medication.”

    Don’t always say your pain is at a level of 10 because the SSA might think you are exaggerating and have a harder time believing you.


    2)      Be CONSISTENT when describing your pain.

    Your testimony at your hearing will be considered stronger if what you tell your doctor at every visit about your pain level is the same as what you have told the SSA in the application process. If there is no medical test (MRI, etc.) to prove the source of your pain, your testimony will be a very important factor in deciding whether you are found disabled. Be consistent and specific.


    Still confused about how to describe your pain?  Give us a call, and we’ll help guide you through it!

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    • felicia 9:15 pm on May 10, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I was involved in an accident 16 years ago. A car drove through a store I worked at and I got hit by debri. My right knee was injured. Over the years, I have had 4 surgeries, the last being a partial replacement. The pain now is worse than before the surgery, and I can’t sleep without Ambien. I have been out of work since this past November. My pain is constant. Usually my pain level is around a 4 or 5, but after I’ve been sitting in one place for too long (10-15min) the pain gets sharp and goes to a 7. If I walk to my mailbox and back when it is only a 5, by the time I get back to the house it’s up to a 9. I’m most comfortable when I’m stretched out on my right side with my injured leg stretched under me. That position helps, but even then when I go to bend my leg to get up, I experience a sharp pain that levels an 8 at least. With weather, usually 2 days before a front moves into the area I start hurting at higher levels. For those 2 days it is commonly around a 7 and sometimes goes up to a 9. I generally have a high tolerance for pain, but with it being my knee, I can’t function to my normal. I have worked convenience stores most of my life and in 1996 decided to go to school to become a medical assistant. My last surgery was about 6 months before I was hired at my first position as a CMA. Over the year I worked there, the pain increased until I couldn’t really do the job they expected. I can’t go up and down stairs normally, I can’t make sudden turns, and after being on my feet for a few hours, my knee would swell. As I’m sitting here typing this, my knee is feeling as if an icepick is being stuck in it. My family says I’m depressed. I feel useless most of the time because I can’t do the things I used to. Driving is getting harder. I have to use both feet for gas and brake because I can’t turn my right knee to get my foot to go to the brake. It even hurts to get out of the vehicle, because of the way I have to turn to get out. I know this is a lot of information, but I wanted someone to kind of understand why I’m checking in to this. What should I do? Everything was initially filed with Worker’s Comp. so they have all my information. I feel like giving up, because they don’t seem to care. My doctor has suggested another surgery (total knee replacement), but the WC people are having their doctors look at it because they aren’t sure another surgery would help me any.

      • felicia 9:18 pm on May 10, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        I correct… it was in 2006 not 1996 that I went to school for my CMA

    • felicia 9:26 pm on May 10, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      to correct… I started school in 2006, not 1996 for medical assistant.

      • Disability Group 9:22 am on May 13, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        Hi Felicia,

        Thank you so much for your comment and question. I am forwarding your comment to our paralegals. Stand by!

        Thanks,
        Disability Group

    • adrian rivas 2:56 pm on July 1, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I got lupus when I was 12 and know as a adoult I have arthritis, fibromyalgia,chronic migranes, anxiety attachs and depression. All the meds I take for these things make me tiered. I need help pruving to s.s.i that I am unaboule to hold a job.

  • Disability Group 10:00 am on January 14, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Glossary of Social Security Disability Terms
    compiled by John M. FitzGerald

    AC – Appeals Council
    ADL – Activities of Daily Living
    ALJ – Administrative Law Judge
    AOD – Alleged Onset Date
    CDB – Childhood Disability Benefits
    CFR. – Code of Federal Regulations
    COLA – Cost of Living Allowance
    DAA – Drug and Alcohol Abuse
    DDS – Disability Determination Service
    DIB – Disability Insurance Benefits
    DLI – Date Last Insured
    DOT – Dictionary of Occupational Titles
    DSM – Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
    HALLEX – Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law
    ER- Earnings Record
    IA – Initial Application
    ME – Medical Expert
    MIQ- Mental Impairment Questionnaire
    MRFC – Mental Residual Functional Capacity
    NH – Number Holder (Wage earner)
    OASDI – Old Age, Survivor & Disability Insurance (Title II)
    ODAR – Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
    PAC – Physician’s Assistant Certified
    PIA – Primary Insurance Amount
    POMS – Programs Operations Manual System
    PRFC – Physical Residual Functional Capacity
    PRW- Past Relevant Work
    QC – Quarters of Coverage
    RFC – Residual Functional Capacity
    SDI – State Disability Insurance
    SGA – Substantial Gainful Activity
    SIB – Spouses Insurance Benefits
    SSA – Social Security Administration
    SSI – Supplemental Security Income, need based benefits, as opposed to DIB
    SSR – Social Security Ruling
    TWP – Trial Work Period
    USC – United States Code
    UWA – Unsuccessful Work Attempt
    VE – Vocational Expert
    WC – Workers’ Compensation
    WIB – Widow(ers) Insurance Benefits
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    • assisted living 4:48 am on January 19, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Beneficial info and excellent design you got here! I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and putting the time into the stuff you publish! Great work!

      • admin 2:14 pm on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you so much for the kind words! Keep reading!

        -Disability Group

    • Medical Jobs 8:55 pm on January 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.

      • admin 2:13 pm on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        Glad to have you as a reader! Let us know if there’s any SSD topic you’d like us to talk about!

        -Disability Group

    • student loan 1:34 pm on January 23, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!

      • admin 2:12 pm on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks so much! Are there any topics you’d like to see covered? Let us know!

        -Disability Group

    • momochii 2:36 pm on May 3, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!

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