Nolo's guide to social security disability : getting & keeping your benefits

Qualify for Social Security disability benefits, quickly and easily

This comprehensive and compassionate book covers both SSDI and SSI, shows you how to prove a disability, and explains how your age, education, and work experience affect your chances. Parents will find special information about benefits available to children with a disability.

Learn how to:
find the disability criteria for your medical condition prove the severity of your disability appeal if you're denied benefits work part time while keeping your benefits prepare for a Continuing Disability Review and more.
Plus, this book is packed with filled-in samples of all the forms you'll need, including the SSDI and SSI disability applications.

This edition covers recent major changes, including: updated disability listings for over 65 medical conditions new rules concerning hearings and evidence, and changes in how Social Security considers evidence from treating doctors and other medical providers.

• Introduction
• Your Social Security Disability Companion p. 1
• Medical and Legal Questions p. 2
• Medical Listings p. 3
• Quick Disability Determination (QDD) p. 5
• 1 What Is Social Security Disability? p. 7
• A Two Different Programs p. 8
• B Defining Disabled p. 18
• C Contacting the Social Security Administration p. 21
• D Frequently Asked Questions About Social Security Disability p. 22
• 2 Applying for Disability Benefits p. 27
• A Preparing to Apply p. 28
• B Applying for Disability Benefits p. 28
• C The Role of Health Care Professionals p. 74
• D How Other Disability Payments May Affect Social Security Benefits p. 76
• E Availability and Disclosure of Confidential Records p. 79
• F Fraud and Other Crimes p. 85
• 3 Disability Benefits for Children p. 87
• A Three Benefit Programs for Children p. 88
• B Applying for SSDI or SSI Benefits p. 90
• C Disability Evaluation p. 103
• D Continuing Disability Reviews for SSI Children p. 107
• E Other Health Care Concerns p. 108
• 4 Getting Benefits During the Application Process (SSI) p. 111
• A Applying for Presumptive Disability p. 113
• B Impairments Qualifying for Presumptive Disability by Field Office p. 114
• C Qualifying for Presumptive Disability Through the DDS p. 116
• 5 Proving You Are Disabled p. 119
• A Acceptable Medical Sources p. 120
• B Medical Evidence From Treating Sources p. 121
• C The Role of Consultative Examinations in Disability Determination p. 131
• D Evidence of Symptoms p. 134
• E Other Evidence p. 137
• F Expedited Determinations p. 137
• 6 Who Decides Your Claim? p. 145
• A DDS Basics p. 146
• B DDS Claims Examiners p. 148
• C DDS Organization p. 148
• D Medical Consultants p. 149
• E If Your Claim Is Granted p. 152
• F If Your Claim is Denied p. 153
• G DDS Corruption and Incompetence p. 153
• H Quick Disability Determination Unit (QDD) p. 163
• 7 How Claims Are Decided p. 165
• Step 1 Are You Engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity? p. 166
• Step 2 How Severe Are Your Impairments? p. 166
• Step 3 Do You Meet the Listing of Impairments? p. 166
• Step 4 Can You Do Your Prior Job? p. 169
• Step 5 Can You Do Any Other Job? p. 169
• 8 Whether You Can Do Some Work: Your RFC p. 171
• A RFC Analysis for Physical Impairments and Abilities p. 173
• B Mental Impairments and Abilities p. 182
• C Claims With Both Physical and Mental RFCs p. 185
• 9 How Age, Education, and Work Experience Matter p. 187
• A Age p. 188
• B Education p. 190
• C Work Experience p. 193
• D Use of Vocational Analysts p. 199
• E Vocational Rehabilitation p. 200
• 10 When Benefits Begin p. 203
• A Medical Evidence p. 204
• 8 Work Experience p. 205
• C SSDI or SSI Claimant p. 206
• 11 Reasons You May Be Denied Benefits p. 209
• A You Earn Too Much Income or Have Too Many Assets p. 210
• B Your Disability Won't Last Long Enough p. 211
• C The SSA Cannot Find You p. 211
• D You Refuse to Cooperate p. 211
• E You Fail to Follow Prescribed Therapy p. 212
• F Drug Addiction or Alcoholism Contributes to Your Disability p. 217
• G You Have Been Convicted of a Crime p. 219
• H You Commit Fraud p. 220
• 12 Appealing If Your Claim Is Denied p. 221
• A Deciding Whether to Appeal p. 222
• B Review the Rationale and Your File From the SSA p. 226
• C Appeal Basics p. 230
• D Your Right to Representation p. 232
• E Five Levels of Appeal p. 233
• F Reopening of Decisions p. 286
• G Refiling an Initial Claim p. 287
• 13 Once You Are Approved p. 289
• A Disability Benefit Payments p. 291
• B Reporting Changes-S5D1 Recipients p. 296
• C Reporting Changes-SSI Recipients p. 308
• D Returning to Work p. 313
• E Passage of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act p. 322
• F Participation in the Ticket to Work Program p. 328
• G The Ticket to Hire Program p. 340
• 14 Continuing Disability Review p. 341
• A Frequency of Reviews p. 342
• B How the S5A Contacts You p. 345
• C Medical Improvement Review Standard p. 367
• D Children and CDRs p. 377
• E Appealing a CDR Decision p. 378
• 15 Your Right to Representation p. 379
• A When Do You Need an Authorized Representative? p. 380
• B What Can an Authorized Representative Do? p. 381
• C Who Can Be an Authorized Representative? p. 382
• D Should Your Authorized Representative Be an Attorney? p. 382
• E How to Find a Disability Attorney p. 383
• F When and How Your Representative Is Paid p. 384
• G Notifying the SSA of Your Choice for Representative p. 391
• H Keeping Up on the Law Yourself p. 391
• Appendixes
• A Glossary of Bureaucratic Terms p. 393
• B Examples of Technical Rationales for Denials p. 397
• Form SSA-4268 Denials From Initial Application p. 398
• Form SSA-4268 Denials From Continuing Disability Review (CDR) p. 402
• C Medical-Vocational Rules p. 413
• D How to Use the Medical Listings on Nolo.com p. 421
• List of Files on Nolo.com p. 422
• Index p. 423