Blog Post

Applying For Social Security Disability

Posted by: Kristina Vasold
August 15, 2008
Topic: Social Security Disability

A person that is disabled in Colorado should apply for Social Security Disability as soon as they feel that they will no longer be able to work at any job for at least 12 months. You can call Social Security at the national number 1-800-772-1213 and set up an appointment for an in-person interview or a phone interview, or you can complete the application online at their website, www.ssa.gov. Make sure to provide the Colorado Social Security office with the names and addresses of all the doctors you have been seeing and with any other information that could assist them in deciding your case. It is very important to attend any doctor's appointment that Social Security sets up. Currently, in Denver, it takes about 4-6 months for an initial decision to be made.

If the initial decision is unfavorable, you have 65 days from the date on the decision to file an appeal. Do not get discouraged if you receive a denial at the initial level, this is a good time to seek an attorney. Whether you have an attorney or not though make sure to file your appeal within the time limit, you can add an attorney at any time. After the appeal is filed, the next step is to gather evidence and prepare for a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. Currently, the Denver hearings office is backlogged and it has been taking 14-18 months to get a hearing date scheduled.