social security disability application

[redbird]

I got a call a few days ago from someone at the Social Security "disability determination" office, following up on forms they'd sent me and not gotten back. They hadn't gotten the forms back because, even though I gave them a change of address last summer, they sent everything to our old address in Belmont. I told them that yes, I am still interested in pursuing this claim, please send the forms to my current address. This was all reasonable, but still not a cheerful conversation.

Two envelopes arrived in yesterday's mail. One of them asks me about my work history, which they also seem to have lost, in this case after I submitted it online.

The other envelope contained a multi-page form with lots of questions about what I can and cannot do. This is not going to be a cheerful process, and I have to send everything back by February 4th. I think we will take this to the post office and hand it over the counter, rather than risk someone breaking into a mailbox.

Also, everything has to be printed or typed using black or dark-blue ink. That effectively means it all has to be hand-written, because we no longer have a typewriter, and neither do many other private homes.

So far, I have answered the utterly straightforward factual questions on the first page, namely my social security number and daytime phone number. (They have both of those, too.) But doing that little bit means I have started on the process, which may make it easier to do more tomorrow.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Ah, so I would have to have someone else fill out such forms for me, or else never fill them in at all. What a cleverly mundane way of reducing the number of such forms they have to process.

[redbird]

There's a space on the last page for "who filled this form out, if not the applicant," so if you had a housemate or friend who could do it for you, that would work. In fact, I think I did some of that for Adrian's disability claim, years ago.

[bibliofile]

You may be able to get help from your local aging & disability resource center. I'd never have finished my applications with their help. To supplement the help from A & A, at least.