Filing Your Application for Social Security Disability
Get Help from a Skilled Gainesville Florida Disability Attorney
To be eligible for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, you must have paid enough into the system through your previous work to qualify and you must have a disabling condition that takes you out of work for at least one year. Fortunately, you do not have to wait an entire year before filing your application. Whether you live in Gainesville, Lake City, Live Oak or anywhere in North Florida, the Law Office of Christopher J. Annis, LLC can help you obtain your benefits when your disabling medical condition will keep you from working for over a year. This evidence includes:
- Medical records
- Your doctor’s future medical prognosis
- Current work status
- Your ability to sit, stand, walk, lift, concentrate, etc.
- Your ability to retrain to do a different job
- Your ability to do work around the house
- Your ability to engage in recreational activities
Medical records from your doctors that show you are impaired and that your impairments prevent you from engaging in normal work activities are the best evidence. It is vital to produce good medical reports from the time you became disabled up to the time of your hearing. These reports should come from all your doctors, including surgeons, pain management doctors, hospitals, clinics, psychiatrists and psychologists.
What not to do
The most common reason valid disability claims are denied is due to a lack of medical evidence. If you only see a doctor once or twice a year, your claim will almost certainly be denied. You need to paint a comprehensive picture of what is going on with you from a medical standpoint. This picture includes your past medical history, your doctor’s observations, your doctor’s diagnosis, the specific treatment your doctor orders and how you respond to that treatment. The Law Office of Christopher J. Annis, LLC can work with your doctors to present your medical records in the best possible light for you. We can also request specific reports from your doctors to answer the questions Social Security judges commonly ask.
Here are some other common mistakes people make when filing for Social Security Disability:
- Filing a claim too early
- Failing to follow doctor’s orders or take prescribed medication
- Missing doctor’s appointments
- Missing appeal deadlines (60 days from the date you are denied)
How to Appeal When You Are Denied
If your claim is denied, the Law Office of Christopher J. Annis, LLC can help you appeal. We can submit new medical evidence to Social Security, obtain special reports from your doctors that are tailored to Social Security’s standards and help you prepare to testify at your hearing. We are a Gainesville, Florida Social Security Disability law firm that can assist you all the way through a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge.
See our pages on appeals and hearings for additional information.
Contact the Law Office of Christopher J. Annis, LLC for assistance with Social Security Disability
At the Law Office of Christopher J. Annis, LLC, we are dedicated to helping people who have suffered disabling injuries or illnesses restore their dignity through Social Security Disability. To obtain help from an attorney who truly cares, contact us online or at 352-264-1910 for a free consultation today.
We also offer evening and weekend appointments at our office in Gainesville, Florida.
