Most people have to deal with varying degrees of complex forms during their lives. From applying for a job to completing a Form 1040, there is a wide range of types of forms. Some are intentionally convoluted, like rebate forms when you buy products. They are designed to encourage mistakes and errors, known in the rebate industry as “breakage,” which can ensure greater profitability for the manufacturer.
With others, the complexity is a necessary component supporting the purpose of the form. Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) uses a complex form and the process for obtaining SSDI benefits can vary from relatively straightforward to incredibly complex.
While it may appear at times that the byzantine bureaucracy is designed to prevent successful applications, what with denials and requests for additional documentation and seemingly endless delays.
Most employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and in Ohio at the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission who work on disability determinations are working to see that eligible claimants receive their benefits as soon as possible.
However, given that the SSA must determine if you are disabled by reviewing your medical impairment, your work history and your educational background, it is anything but a simple process.
They have to determine not only that you are disabled from your previous work, but are also unable to perform any other type of work. Many first time applications are denied, but often with the help of an attorney, you can correct or better document your impairment.
The SSDI benefits can greatly help a family struggling with a disability and the application is the first step to obtain those benefits.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Applying for Social Security disability is a complicated process, but worth it,” Elliot Raphaelson, October 15, 2013