I have been working on the Ultimate Disability Guide website for about ten years and chances are if you have a question about Social Security disability you will find the answer here.  I have received tremendous feedback from my readers and often use the questions I get in e-mails as a basis for additional pages on my disability website.  If for some reason you are having trouble finding an answer to your question please feel free to e-mail me or call me at 1-877-527-5529.  The one thing I try and do with the Ultimate Disability Guide is to provide real information that is helpful.  If you have spent anytime on the Internet looking for real information on SSDI you will notice real answers are hard to come by.  If you are reading this and have used my website for guidance in your claim be sure to tell others about my website.  I have been adding to this website for almost a decade and look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come.  If you are new to Ultimate Disability Guide welcome and I hope you become a regular reader of my site like so many have over the years. 

Someone can certainly be found disabled for depression alone if it is severe enough but in most Social Security disability claims it is depression in combination with other medical conditions that is being claimed.  Often people with long term chronic pain develop depression as a result of their suffering and change in lifestyle.  It is important to know that SSA will look at all your medical conditions together and the limitations all these medical conditions together cause.  A common example would be someone with severe back condition and due to pain and no longer being able to do the things he or she once did develops depression.  So even though the back condition and the physical limitations from it may be the main reason for a person being unable to work SSA still needs to evaluate any mental limitations on the claimant based on his or her depression.  This is why if you are being treated for depression you should make sure SSA is aware of it even if it is not your main disability. 

You may be trying to decide if you should get a lawyer to help you with your Social Security disability claim.  There are several ways a good SSDI attorney can help.  First, they will know the law and how it applies to your particular case.  This allows them to get the evidence needed and to explain to SSA why this evidence shows you are no longer able to work.  An SSDI lawyer does this either orally in a hearing or by brief and more often by both.  If there are medical or vocational experts at your hearing a disability attorney will know what questions to ask of the experts to help your case.  I will be the first to tell you that not all cases need a lawyer to win but I do believe your chances of winning are better if you have a legal representative on your side.  Remember SSA employees and judges evaluate these cases all the time and will know the law well.  It certainly helps to have someone on your side who knows the law and procedures and your particular case better than they do.  Also keep in mind a lawyer only get paid if they win and it comes from past due benefits so there is very little downside to getting an attorney to help you.

On April 20, 2015 the "all evidence" regulations started.  It will be interesting to see how these new regulations will be handled.  The main point of these new rules is that a claimant has an obligation to submit or inform SSA about all evidence that is relevant to his or her social security disability claim.  This rule also applies to attorneys and non-attorney representatives.  As part of these new regulations the ALJ at the close of a SSDI hearing must ask whether the attorney or the claimant is aware of any additional evidence that relates to whether the claimant is disabled.  This is clearly an effort to prevent evidence not helpful to a claimants claim for disability from being withheld from the decision makers at SSA.  The new regulations even provide for possible sanctions against lawyers and representatives who do not provide evidence they have or that they are aware of.

Ok, so you decided you need to apply for Social Security Disability benefits but you don't know were to start.  Here is a short list of things you can do that will get you on right track for your claim.  Write down all the places you got treatment for your medical conditions so you can help make sure all your medical records are in file when decision is made.  Next time you have an appointment with your treating doctor ask them if they would be willing to fill out an RFC form or write a report for you.  You should also write down all the jobs you did in last 15 years.  You can also start to research on-line at my website and the SSA website.  After some research of your case write down exactly what you will have to prove to win your case.  Now think about the evidence you will need to prove you are disabled and write that down.  There is much more to do but this is just some ideas to get you started on winning your SSDI claim.

RFC stands for Residual Functional Capacity.  Your residual functional capacity is the most you can still do despite your limitations.  An RFC form is a form filled out by your doctor that shows his or her opinion of your limitations from your medical conditions.  The two most common RFC forms are physical and mental.  It is important to have one of these forms completed by your doctor since you can be sure there will be other RFCs in your file by done SSA consultative doctors.  The decision maker of your claim will look at all these RFCs in your file along with the other evidence in the file to determine what they believe the evidence shows your Residual Functional Capacity is.

You have a serious medical condition and you know you can't work anymore, but don't expect Social Security to take your word for it.  You need medical evidence to prove it.  I know it is not always easy to get regular medical treatment.  Many people do not have medical insurance, but you must try and find a way to get treatment both for your health and your SSDI claim.  If you do not have insurance you should contact the state in which you live to see if they have any programs for affordable health care.  If worse comes to worse SSA will send you for exams but this is not ideal.  If you have insurance than you must keep regular appointments for treatment.  This documents your medical condition and treatment and can have a further advantage of helping you develop a relationship with your doctor so they can feel comfortable helping you with your claim.