It is easy to underestimate the complexity of a SSDI claim

Most people never expect to become disabled. They go about their working career, hoping they can remain employed or working for that next promotion. They may have heard about other people on disability of one form or another, but they are busy with their work and their family, and they don’t have the time to learn much about a program that they never expect to use.

But then they hurt their back, or find it difficult to breathe or climb stairs. They begin missing days and eventually their employer lets them go, or they have to quit because the pain is too great.

And at that point, they have to begin to lean how the Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) program works. Just like with the medical aspects of your disability, you probably rely on knowledgeable advice from your doctors, nurses and physical therapists for help coping with your disability, so too, it may be necessary to rely on legal professionals to help with the legal aspects of your SSDI claim.

The key to a successful disability claim is evidence. This means documentation of the diagnosis by your doctors, records of tests and treatments and their outcomes, and any other form of evidence that bolsters your case that you are disabled.

Sometimes, it may be a single test that confirms that you have a serious, life-threatening illness that leaves you disabled. For others, it may be dozens or hundreds of records from doctors, hospitals and clinics, as well as other reports or testimony of your health or behavior.

The more complex your case, the more likely you will need assistance from a lawyer, who understands how to organize your documentation in a manner that will allow the Social Security Administration to quickly approve your benefits.

Al.com, “Social Security disability system near impossible to navigate without legal help, applicants say,” Alex Walsh, October 20, 2014