A Few Tips For Getting Your Disability Claim Approved

If you have been injured or have an illness, disease, or condition that will keep you from returning to work for at least a year, you should file a claim to receive disability insurance. The money you receive may be all that keeps you and your family from financial ruin. Unfortunately, more of these claims are denied every year than are approved, and less than 25 percent are approved from the initial application. This means you need to have everything in order and prepared before you file. Here are a few tips that should help you get approved and start receiving some money.

Gather Your Medical Records

Before you turn in the application, take the time to gather all the medical records that pertain to the reason you are disabled. If you have seen multiple doctors, gone to therapies, or had tests done, be sure to include everything from those. You want to also show how long you have had the problem, what has been done, and how each treatment or medication helped or did not help. If possible, get each medical professional to write a short note detailing your situation and what can be expected in the future in regards to it. Make copies of everything and send them in with the application. Do not wait until they ask you for something, as this will take too long and they may make a decision before having all the facts.

Seek Legal Help

Find a lawyer who is experienced in filing disability claims, and ask him or her to go over your application. If you have done all the work yourself, you should have to pay a nominal fee for this. However, it will give the attorney information about you and your case. If you are denied, the lawyer will be up to date with what is going on and can file the appeal quickly. If an appeal is not filed within a specified time frame, you will have to start all over. Most lawyers work on a contingency basis for these cases. They do not receive any pay unless your claim is approved, and it will be a percentage of your initial payout. You will not have to come up with any money to have legal representation.

When you are disabled, you should not have to worry about finances. You need to be putting all your energy into trying to heal or find ways to cope with your condition. As soon as you realize you will not be able to work, start gathering the information you need to file a disability claim. Even if the whole situation has not been discovered, getting a head start on everything will get you paid more quickly. If you have any questions or concerns, speak with an experienced disability attorney from a firm such as Iler and Iler.