Friday, January 28, 2011

Starting a Social Security disability insurance claim

This succinct description of the forms needed to start a disability insurance claim appeared in the Modesto Bee on January 24, 2011. The text was furnished to the paper by the SSA.

"Q: What is the difference between the disability application and the disability report? Do I have to complete both?

"A: A disability application is a claim for Social Security disability benefits. A disability report provides information about your current physical or mental condition that we need to process your disability application. To establish a claim for disability benefits, you need to file a disability application, submit a disability report, and provide an authorization to release medical records. The best place to start is at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability"

Disability Facts does not, however, agree that the best place to start a claim is on the Internet, for the reasons stated in our post of December 16, 2010. We think an SSA office is the best place to start a claim, and the runner-up method is by telephone and mail.