Benefit Kits For SS Application
From the Social Security Office of Public Affairs, Minneapolis/St. Paul.
If you are recently disabled and have been thinking about filing for Social Security disability benefits, I have some good news for you. There is a new disability Starter Kit that can help you get ready for your disability interview and guide you through the application process.
The starter kit gives general information about the disability programs and about the process we use to decide whether or not you qualify for disability benefits. And the kit provides guidelines about the specific information and documents we will ask you for during the interview. We think the kit will help take some of the mystery out of applying for disability benefits.
Each disability starter kit contains:
The fact sheet provides the legal definition of disability and explains how Social Security decides if your condition is severe enough to meet the eligibility criteria. It also gives tips on steps you can take to speed up the decision-making process.
The checklist provides a list of the information we need for most disability claims. That includes documents such as a birth certificate, latest W-2 form and military discharge papers, and information such as the names and addresses of all the doctors and other health professionals who have treated you.
The worksheet is designed to mimic many of the most important questions we ask during the disability application interview, such as a description of your impairment(s) and the date you became disabled. In addition to the information about your treatment sources as outlined in the checklist, it also asks you to list the medications you take and the medical tests you have had. And it asks for information about the kinds of jobs you have held.
You will be sent a copy of the Disability Starter Kit whenever you request an appointment to file for Social Security disability benefits. Or you can find the kit online at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability, or call 1-800-772-1213 and ask that a kit be mailed to you.
