It’s not uncommon for mistakes to happen during the Social Security disability application process. Whether they’re committed by yourself or by the Social Security Administration (SSA), you should still routinely look at your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or Supplemental Income (SSI) claim in case the SSA updates the status of your case.
It’s recommended that you routinely check the status of your Social Security disability claim so that you can stay up to date without waiting for the SSA to notify you of any changes. Also, if the SSA loses your paperwork, even if it is temporary, they could potentially be unable to contact you promptly. Even worse, mail could be sent to the wrong address, and you risk losing all the progress you’ve made in your disability claim since the SSA may reject your application because they didn’t receive a required response from you. So not only will routinely checking up on your disability claim allow you to know what’s going on during the application process, but you may also notice a way you could speed up the process entirely.
How To Check Your Claim
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As of today, there are two primary methods for looking at the status of your disability claim:
- Going online to www.ssa.gov
- By contacting the SSA by phone on their main number or by calling your local Social Security office.
If you decide that you want to look at the status of your disability claim online, the SSA requires an account for their my Social Security, the SSA’s online account network. To make an account you’ll have to be at least 18 years old and need a few things handy before signing up, they include:
- Your home address
- Your Social Security Number
- Your email address
You can contact the SSA’s main phone number at 1-800-772-1213, but you’ll still need the previous information to check the status of your claim.
How Frequent Should You Check The Status Of Your Claim?
Typically, it’s best to look at the status of your disability claim once every month. But there are times where you should increase how often you look. Such as if you just sent the SSA information relating to your claim, in this situation you’d want to check every two weeks to confirm that the SSA received the information. If the SSA is late to issue you a decision on your claim, look for an update every other day or so. Although fairly uncommon, the SSA has forgotten to notify the applicant a decision regarding their disability claim. You could also contact the exact Social Security office that has your application to learn what the status of your disability claim is.
What To Ask Regarding Your Disability Claim
Yes, the primary question that you want to be answered is likely, “has the SSA approved my disability claim?” But there are several questions you could ask the SSA relating to your claim:
- What is there left to do? The SSA will commonly delay your disability claim if they require additional documentation or information. If you ask the SSA if there’s anything left to do, then they could potentially inform you that they’re missing some information that’s required, allowing you to promptly speed up the application process.
- How long will it take before a decision is made? If you don’t know how long it’s going to take for the SSA to make a decision on your disability claim, simply ask them. It’s extremely common for applicants to feel lost and abandoned since it can take several months and even years before the SSA notifies you that they made a decision about your claim. By asking the SSA how long it is going to take you can get at least an estimate, to which should help calm your nerves and relieve those feelings of lost hope.
To conclude, it’s your responsibility to keep the SSA in check when it comes to your Social Security disability claim. Yes, they will ultimately make the decision, but there’s a lot that you can do to help speed up the decision-making process. If you have any questions or simply want to check on the status of your claim, just call the SSA or check online, you will not be penalized in any way. This is why it’s perfectly okay to call frequently. It can only provide you better peace of mind and the ability to speed up the process entirely.