If you are thinking of applying for Social Security Disability -- are in the process of applying -- or have already applied and been denied -- there are a few things you should know. If you are still working (at SGA), you cannot apply for SSDI. If you are no longer working, it helps to have a good set of medical records which are available to the examiner handling your claim. You can apply at your local SSA office, or online at the SSA website. During the process of application, you will be asked to sign release forms so that the DDS can obtain your medical records. Most important are the records from the year leading up to the day on which you stopped work, known as your "alleged onset date". Sit down and list all of the doctors and hospitals which have treated you in the year prior to your last day of work (as well as any since), and let your examiner know the names, addresses, and phone numbers. If you have had no treatment, the DDS will send you for medical evaluations based upon your alleged impairment(s), and this can significantly delay your claim.

Be aware that there are backlogs at all levels of appeal. There are simply too many claimants and not enough trained evaluators. Many times Congress will enact new legislation and requirements concerning issues -- most recently related to Homeland Security, for example -- but does not always allocate the appropriate monies to hire additional staff at the local SSA Field Offices and DDS's.

If you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, your case may be approved within 90 days from the time that you apply. There is a built-in 5 month waiting period for Title 2 benefits (none for SSI), so this eliminates anyone killed by accident or anyone who dies within five months of ceasing work activity. Everyone else may have to wait from three to six months on the initial level and another three to six months for a reconsideration. Beyond the reconsideration level is a hearing before an ALJ. Current wait-times for ALJ hearings in certain regions are as long as 1,000 days -- or three years.

If you are age 55 or older, you have a better chance of being approved no matter what your impairment. This is because younger workers tend (in general) to be less chronically ill and may be able to switch to a less demanding job or lighter work, as well as re-trained for other work. You might think that an older surgeon with arthritis might have less of a chance of being approved than a younger, unskilled worker with a more severe impairment, but this is not necessarily the case. From the government's point of view, a surgeon is highly skilled in her/his field, and if she can no longer perform surgery due to arthritis, unless the examiner can establish that there are closely matching medical administrative jobs for this claimant, her claim will likely be approved. By the same token, a 53 year old commercial airline pilot who has suffered a heart attack, undergone by-pass surgery, and then recovered will almost certainly lose his/her license to fly commercial aircraft, but his claim may be denied as he could perform other work. Each case is determined, then, on the basis of that person's unique profile.