How Can I Apply for Social Security Disability?

You have three ways to start an SSD claim in Arkansas: online, by phone, or in person.

The Social Security Administration’s online application is available through ssa.gov and lets you complete the Disability Benefit Application at your own pace, save your progress, and return to finish later. Many applicants prefer the online option because it does not require scheduling a visit to a field office and can be completed at home with your documents in hand.

If you would rather speak with someone directly, you can call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to complete your application over the phone or to schedule an appointment at a local field office. Arkansas has field offices serving central Arkansas and other regions of the state. Scheduling an appointment ahead of time, rather than walking in without one, can help you avoid long waits and ensure a representative is available to assist you.

Whichever method you choose, having your paperwork organized before you begin can make the process faster and reduce the chance of a mistake that delays a decision. Our Arkansas SSD attorneys can help you decide which application method fits your situation and can review your application before it is submitted.

What is SSD?

Perhaps you are not familiar with Social Security Disability, however now that you are unable to work, you do not know which way to turn. Social Security Disability is a Social Security program that pays monthly benefits to those who are disabled and unable to work prior to reaching retirement age. To qualify for the SSD program, you must have worked and paid FICA taxes for a specific number of years. If you have not met this requirement when you become disabled, you could potentially be eligible for Supplemental Security Income, assuming your income and assets are low enough. The number of work credits you need to qualify for SSD will depend on your age when your disability first began. As an example, if you were 50 years old when your disability occurred, you will need to have worked for 7 years, accruing 28 work credits (four credits per year of work). At least five of those seven years must have been within the past ten years.

In addition to the necessary work credits, you must also have a medical condition that meets the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability. Only those with a severe, long-term disability are eligible for SSD.  You may wonder what qualifies as “severe.” A severe disability will interfere with your basic, work-related activities, making it impossible for you to continue working. Long-term means the condition you have can reasonably be expected to last a minimum of one year. To the Social Security Administration, a total disability means you are unable to perform “substantial, gainful activity for at least one year.”

Even if you apply and are immediately approved for disability benefits in Arkansas (as you might be if you just underwent a heart transplant), you will not receive SSD benefits until you have been disabled for five months—SSD’s five-month “waiting period.” Since it is more likely that your SSD application will not be approved for six months to a year, then if you are eventually approved, you will receive back pay beginning with the sixth month after the beginning of your disability.

To recap the requirements for SSD:

While applicants working and earning above the Substantial Gainful Activity level will be denied immediately without even having their medical records, injury or illness considered, disabled individuals may work part-time while applying for benefits if they are not earning more than the allowable income. There are many complexities in the Social Security Disability system, and our SSD attorneys pride themselves on being able to sort out the specific issues for each client, allowing them to receive the benefits they deserve.

What is the Filing Process for SSD?

If you live in the state of Arkansas and are suffering from a severe disability that keeps you from working, you can apply for SSD at your local Social Security field office or online. You will be required to fill out a number of forms, as well as gather documents together, including:

• If you are married and/or divorced, you need the dates of those events.
• If you are married and/or have children, you need the full names and birthdates of your spouse and children.
• If you have been discharged from the military, you need Form DD 214.
• You will need your checking or savings account number as well as bank routing information so that check can be direct deposited into your account if your application is approved.
• You will need all your medical records which include dates of treatment from all doctors, hospitals and clinics, as well as your patient ID number.
• You will need the names and dates of any medical tests which confirm your diagnosis, along with the name of the referring physician.
• If you currently take prescription medication(s) for your disability, you will need the names of the medication(s) as well as the name of the prescribing doctor.
• You will need a list of all the jobs you have held for the fifteen years prior to your disability.

You will fill out an Adult Disability Report, a Disability Benefit Application and an Authorization to Disclose Information Form (SSA-827).

What Documents Do I Need to Apply for SSD?

In addition to the personal and medical information already described above, Social Security will ask you to verify certain documents before your claim can move forward. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to provide:

• Your Social Security number and card, or a record of the number if the card itself is unavailable
• A certified birth certificate or other proof of age
• Proof of United States citizenship or lawful immigration status if you were not born in this country
• A copy of your W-2 forms, or your federal tax return if you are self-employed, for the most recent year
• Final decision letters if you have applied for workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, or another public disability benefit
• Copies of any prior denial letters if this is not your first SSD application

Because Social Security relies on official records rather than informal copies, requesting certified documents such as a birth certificate early in the process can prevent delays later. If a document is missing or difficult to obtain, our team can often help track down the record you need or explain to Social Security why a substitute should be accepted.

What Information Do I Need From My Doctors?

Your medical evidence is the foundation of your SSD claim, and Social Security looks closely at what your doctors have documented about your condition and how it limits you. Beyond the treatment dates and medication information already mentioned above, it is helpful to gather:

• The name, address, and phone number for every doctor, therapist, hospital, and clinic that has treated your condition, even if that treatment ended years ago
• A description of the specific care you received, including any surgeries, therapies, or hospital stays
• Any statement from a treating doctor describing how your condition limits your ability to sit, stand, lift, concentrate, or complete a full workday
• Notes on whether your condition has improved, stayed the same, or worsened since you stopped working

Social Security gives significant weight to consistent, detailed treatment records. Gaps in care, whether caused by a lack of insurance or difficulty getting appointments, are sometimes used to argue a condition is not as severe as described. Our attorneys regularly reach out to treating physicians on behalf of our clients to request detailed statements that speak directly to the standard Social Security uses to evaluate disability, which can meaningfully strengthen a claim.

What Work History Do I Need to Provide?

Social Security uses your work history to determine both your insured status and whether you could still perform your past work or adjust to other work. Along with the fifteen-year job list mentioned above, you should be prepared to provide, for each position you held:

• The employer’s name, address, and the dates you worked there
• Your job title and a description of your daily duties
• The physical demands of the job, including how much weight you regularly lifted and how many hours you spent sitting, standing, or walking
• Your rate of pay and whether you supervised other employees

This information typically appears on a Work History Report, and Social Security uses it to classify your past work by exertion level, ranging from sedentary to very heavy. If your medical condition prevents you from performing the demands of your past work, and you cannot reasonably adjust to other work given your age, education, and skills, you may meet Social Security’s definition of disability even without meeting a specific medical listing. Because this analysis is detailed and fact-specific, our Arkansas SSD attorneys take the time to review your full work history with you rather than relying on a brief job title alone.

What are the Approval Rates for Different Stages of the SSD Application?

Many initial applications for SSD in Arkansas are denied, however the decision can be appealed with a request for review of the denial within 60 days of receipt of the denial letter. According to the Social Security Disability Resource Center, although the rate of approval for SSD varies from state to state—as well as from level to level of the SSD process—the average national rate for approval of an initial disability application is 36 percent—meaning 64 percent of all initial claims receive a denial letter. If you receive a denial letter and request a review of the denial, then you can expect even more dismal approval rates—nationally, about 13.8 percent.

This extremely low approval rate of an initial denial is because these denial reviews are sent to the same state disability agency which initially denied the claim (although to a different examiner). Review or reconsideration appeals are typically looked at as simply the next step to the disability process, which is an appeal to an administrative law judge. This level of the SSD process has the highest approval rate, with a national average of 62 percent. If you receive a denial after going in front of the administrative law judge, then you can appeal this denial to the Appeals Council—which has an approval rate of only about 13 percent.

If a denial is issued from the Appeals Council, you have one last chance to obtain disability benefits through federal court—where about 40 percent of disability cases are approved. Keep in mind, these are national statistics, and the approval rate for SSD actually varies considerably from state to state. As an example, Hawaii has the highest SSD approval rate at about 52 percent (for initial claim decisions) while the lowest approval rate is found in Mississippi, at 24 percent. Currently, about 30.2 percent of initial Arkansas Social Security Disability claims are awarded, which is a bit less than the national average. The average wait time for an SSD hearing is from six months to two years.

How Do I Contact the Arkansas SSD?

Social Security sends your claim to Arkansas DDSSA soon after you submit your application. You should call DDSSA with any questions you have about your application after you apply.

Arkansas Disability Determination

701 Pulaski Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-3030
Fax: 800-482-9950
Website: http://www.state.ar.us/ddssa/

Arkansas has two Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) locations where disability hearings are held. In addition, the Memphis and Dallas ODAR offices service some areas in Arkansas.

Fort Smith

Central Mall, Suite 475
5111 Rogers Avenue
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903-2034
Phone: 479-452-0137
Fax: 479-452-5415

Memphis

309 Monroe Street
Memphis, TN 3810
Phone: (866) 348-5830
Fax: (901) 523-9282

(In addition to servicing field offices in Tennessee, this hearing office services Forrest City and West Memphis, Arkansas.)

Little Rock

2405 Federal Office Building
700 West Capitol Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Phone: 866-592-2549
Fax: 501-324-7137

Dallas North

Suite 500
12790 Merit Drive
Dallas, Texas 75251
Telephone: (866) 331-7135
Fax: (972) 341-5153

(In addition to servicing field offices in Texas, this hearing office services Texarkana and Pine Bluff, Arkansas.)