What Happens in the Disability Determination Process for Social Security Disability Cases?

What Happens in the Disability Determination Process for Social Security Disability Cases?

After filing an application for disability with the Social Security Administration (SSA), you may wonder what happens. The silence between filing and a response proves long as you await needed benefits.

While long suffering seems to be the name of the game in regard to your health and ability to work at this point, information can ease the tension. Understanding the disability determination process for Social Security disability cases helps to ease your mind and impatience.

1). Your Social Security disability application gets filed through a local field office in person, by phone, through the mail or online. Completing in full information regarding your impairment, treatment history and personal data keeps your application moving.

2). The local field office verifies your non-medical eligibility. In other words, case workers in these agencies review your age, employment, marital status and Social Security information. Financial eligibility is determined at this step. You may also be contacted regarding any missing information.

3). Once reviewed locally, your application is sent to a Disability Determination Services (DDS) office. These agencies, funded by the Federal Government, develop medical evidence around your case. In this step, the evaluation of disability is conducted and an initial determination is made.

The disability determination process for Social Security disability cases involves the following questions in this order:

• • Does the applicant meet the financial eligibility requirements? (Answered at the field office level.)
  • Is severe physical or mental impairment present for a determined duration?
  • Does the claimant meet or equal the medical SSA Listings?
  • Has the applicant exhibited a capacity for past work?
  • Does the claimant demonstrate a capacity for any work?

For children, the questions differ slightly:

• • Does the child applicant’s family financially qualify?
  • Is severe physical or mental impairment present for a determined duration?
  • Does the child’s impairment meet or equal the medical SSA Listings?
  • In not, does he or she functionally equal the level of severity of Listings? (The answer considers a child’s ability to function at home, school and in the community.)

4). Your case returns to the local field office where appropriate action is taken. For instance, if approved as disabled, the SSA office calculates the benefit amount and begins paying you benefits. On the other hand, if denied, the file is held in the event that you choose to request an appeal.

The entirety of the disability determination process for Social Security disability cases takes approximately 30 to 90 days. In the event of a denial, a reconsideration appeal typically requires an additional two months for a decision.