If your hearing is in a few weeks or a few months or even a year or more away… Now is the very best time you can make the very biggest difference.
Get a Function Form From Your Doctor
💮 Some disability lawyers say this is the single most important paper in your entire file! Tips for making sure your function form includes everything needed.
Or Get a Letter from Your Doctor
🌺 Sample letters and tips for making sure your letter includes everything needed.
Get a Disability Lawyer or Representative
🌺 If possible, it’s highly recommended to try to get a lawyer or disability advocate for your hearing. There is no charge until after you win.
Check Your Social Security File
🌺 Some people arrive at their hearings and discover that some of their most important medical records are missing from their file! (This happens to people with lawyers, too).
Collect and Read Your Medical Records
🌺 The judge is going to make their decision based on your records. Don’t you want to know what they will be reading? Yes! You do! (Hint: Online records usually are not complete)
A Long, Long List of More Ways to Improve Your Chances
🌺 Now is the perfect time. You do not have to do a lot. A few minutes each a day can add up to make a big difference. It’s never too early and it’s never too late.
🌺 Questions the judge may ask during your hearing, and strategies for answering.
🌺 Videos by Disability lawyer Jonathan Ginsberg. Highly recommended by many of our readers.
🌺 Excellent list of articles by Disability Lawyers
If You Are Going to a Hearing Without a Lawyer
🌺 Tips if you don’t have a lawyer.
🌺 Stories from the field
Getting denied when you first apply is so hard. Take it one step at a time. The anger is exhausting.
See if you can refocus. Starts with focusing on yourself. ‘I deserve support’. ‘Things are changing’. ‘I’m going to be a part of what’s changing’. And balance with little things that make you happy. Comedy shows, music, tea and crumpets.
Focus on how deserving you are and treat yourself super well. You are innocent. And beautiful.”
– Laura Partland
How to Get On 
My appeal also the medical decision has been made since August then this month the date change to November! I called the ALJ office in Fort Lauderdale, they told me my file had been sent to the Atlanta office and they could no longer give me information on my claim. I have not had an attorney since I’m on the last leg of this process I am hoping this is good news.
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hi i am in the appeals process and have found numerous mistakes . even one where they were using another persons medical records about hospital stay. i was there the same time , just not over the thirty days like he was , they fixed that ,i think ,but since looking closer i found alot more mistakes . now when i go to the local office im treated hostile and was even threatened by him saying he could just stop my benefits , but as he knows i hadnt been getting them for about a year . the reason for my appeal which is from a dispute on if i mailed paperwork in the allowed time ..i did and my case was reopened sent back .i couldnt possible explain everything here . way too confusing . they said i owed them an over payment of 12 grand i denied that! because they owe me that then they paid the non existant over payment with what they owed me . i didnt give them the 12 grand .they used what they owe me ? ….this only came to my attension from records they sent me . i didnt know untill they told me . now i cant find help to straighten it out no supervisor will see me or call me back .it has gotten personel to them is my guess
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So sorry you are dealing with this. Have you tried contacting your local legal aide office? I hope they can help. There is more information on overpayments on this page: in case helpful:
https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/how-sandra-got-her-overpayments-waived/
https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/how-to-respond-when-social-security-tells-you-that-you-owe-money-back/
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Thank you for the site, the kind intent to help others, and the whole tone. It’s hard enough to live a life that might be different than that of peer, such as my son may experience, but, he’s got some steel determination and grit, as well as a knowledge, even at his age, that God is real and is ultimately in
charge, that i know he will serve his purpose on this planet, in just the body God gave him.
Peace to all of you kind, sweet souls.
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This has been a tremendous help to me so far.
What a great resource. Thanks
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I am so disappointed I have been denied on my first time applying. now my depression and anxiety are even worse than it was, to begin with. Please help if you have any advice tips or tricks for me I’m all ears. I can’t go back to work and I’m stressing and worrying about how I will get money. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
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Please don’t give up hope. Your chances will be better for appealing.
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I am in the waiting for a hearing stage, I was denied twice , found a lawyer and now we are waiting to schedule a hearing, my LDI was Dec 2012 and my AOD was around Jan 2008….is this bad?
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Hi Denise,
Do you know if you are eligible for SSI? Or only applying for SSDI?
Have you talked to your attorney about this? Have they collected records from before 2012?
There is a lot of info on this page about how to prove you were disabled at an earlier date. Hope this helps 💚🍏🦎 https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/2017/03/28/how-to-get-around-expired-work-credits/
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