How Do I Start a Claim for Disability?

Generally a person can start his or her claim by calling the SSA teleservice center at SSA”s toll free number, 1-800-772-1213. The teleservice center staff will call your local SSA office and make you an appointment with an SSA representative. A person can also call the local SSA office where he or she lives and make an appointment to complete in person the disability claim application. The phone number for your local office should be listed in the white pages under Social Security Administration or the blue federal government pages of your local phone directory under the same heading.

Never just go to the local office and expect to be seen. Without an appointment you will likely have to wait for hours to see someone.

Be sure that whichever way you proceed that you have the names, addresses and phone numbers of all of your medical care providers, the drugs you are currently taking and a good outline of your work history for the past 15 years with a description of what each job involved physically and mentally, how long you worked at each job and what you were paid. Be ready as well to explain your physical and mental impairments and how they reduced or eliminated your ability to do each of your past jobs.