Filing for Disability

How to File for Social Security Disability

You can file for Social Security Disability in three different ways:SSDI Application

• Apply Online
• Apply Over the Phone
• Apply in person at your local Social Security office. There are Social Security offices all over the U.S.; you can find your local office here. For those outside the U.S., you can contact the Federal Benefits Unit that provides service to your country of residence.

Your local SSA field office will check if you meet all non-medical eligibility requirements. Then, the local SSA field office will send your application to your state’s Disability Determination Services (DDS). There, a disability claims examiner will make the medical determination as to whether you qualify for disability benefits.

If your benefits are denied, you can request that the DDS reconsider your claim. If the DDS denies you again, you can then request an appeal hearing. In the appeal hearing, you will go in front of an administrative law judge in SSA’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.