Filing for SSD: Common Mistakes to Avoid

More than half of all Social Security disability claims are denied on the first round, and in many cases, this is because of mistakes during the application process. You have the opportunity to appeal your claim denial, and while you are not required to be represented by an attorney, an experienced attorney can help you fill out your SSD application or request for appeal thoroughly and accurately so that you can get the benefits you deserve.

Shook & Stone is here to help you whether you are at the initial application phase or you need to appeal a denied claim due to application mistakes.

To apply for disability, you must fill out an application and bring it to your local Social Security Administration office. You may also be able to apply for disability benefits online. Because of the high denial rate, it is important that you fill out your application completely and correctly. Below is a list of common mistakes people make on the first-round application.

1. Failure to provide sufficient medical records. This includes a list of every physician who treated you for your injury/disability, official diagnoses of your condition(s), a complete list of scheduled appointments, list of prescribed medications, and more.
2. Listed job history was incomplete. To apply for Social Security disability benefits, you must list out your complete work history.
3. Income listed does not match your tax records. Your financial history, including all sources of income, must match your tax records (W-2 forms).
4. Inaccurate technical details. Applying for SSD will require inputting certain codes and ID numbers, such as your employee ID, your employer’s ID, social security number, etc. If any of these codes are wrong, your application could be denied.
5. Typos and grammatical errors. Even some typos and grammatical errors in your application could confuse the meaning and result in a denied application.