Filing For Disability

Disability through an employer is one way to receive a portion of your wages while you cannot work. Most employers offer a disability program, at no cost to the employee for those who cannot work due to a disability whether that disability happened on the job or elsewhere. When you need to file for disability, there is an application procedure as well as other things you need to do to determine if you qualify for disability as well as what type.

Filing for disability is not a guarantee that you will receive it but it does mean that you are letting your employer or social security know that you are disabled and you need assistance making ends meet.

Short Term Disability

There are some common mistakes that many people make when applying for social security disability, These mistakes can be the direct result of your case being denied or loss of benefits:

• You expect to be disabled for a period of no more than a few months to as long as a year.
• Consider a pre-purchased disability plan that you pay for.
• Don't falsify any information on your application.
• Understand that the state or your employer is responsible for paying short term disability.
• You can expect your short term disability to kick in as early as one week after you have applied if there is no waiting period attached to your case.

Long Term Disability

When you are filing for long term disability, there are a few basic considerations that you need to keep in mind:

• If you are filing for long term disability but working, you cannot make more than $800 a month.
• Expect to be able to prove that your disability is severe and merits a long term disability payment.
• You must not be able to do the work that you are claiming you are disabled from or your case will be denied.
• There should not be other kinds of work that you can do but simply haven't or your case will be denied.
• You should never file a false claim on your behalf or the behalf of others.

Whether you need short term or long term disability, you have to go through the filing process to determine whether or not you eligible. Once you have filed, you need to make sure that you follow up on the status of the application. If additional information is requested, make sure you provide whatever they ask for as soon as possible. It is also a good idea to keep a copy of all documentation that you forward to your employer, the state or the federal government. And as a rule, remember that verbal orders don't stand up in hearings or cases where you may have to dispute a case that's been closed or denied.

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