Have you been trying to receive Social Security Disability benefits for a long time and just aren’t making any progress? If so, you may need to hire the services of a Social Security Disability Pittsburgh PA attorney to help move the case along. In the meantime, here are some tips you should use to avoid messing up your case and possibly forfeiting any benefits that you deserve.
Playing Down Your Symptoms
When getting examined by a doctor who is evaluating the seriousness of your disability, it’s never a good idea to play down your symptoms or limitations. That’s not to say that you should exaggerate them either. Instead, you should be completely honest about your disabilities. Give a detailed description of how your disability affects your everyday life. Also, describe what side effects your medications are having on you, if any.
Don’t Be Vague about Work Requirements
The person that is evaluating your disability case will likely ask you to fill out a work history questionnaire. This will give the examiner an idea of what your daily tasks at your job requires and if you will be able to do those tasks again. You should be specific about the tasks that you once did at your job, including lifting, sweeping and other physical demands.
Continuing to Work at Your Job
You can’t necessarily apply for disability benefits through Social Security if you can still work at your job. This doesn’t mean that you should quit your job just so you can collect benefits. But if you can still work with minimal accommodations, you shouldn’t be applying for disability benefits in the first place.
Not Hiring a Lawyer
A lot of people think that they can simply apply for disability benefits and the system will work. They can just sit back and wait for their checks to start rolling in. But that simply isn’t the case. You should have a Social Security Disability Pittsburgh PA attorney working for you during and throughout the entire application process. They don’t charge much and in some cases, they might even work out a payment plan with you.
Missing Deadlines
There are many deadlines that are essential when you are applying for disability benefits. You should take these deadlines seriously because if you miss one of them, you risk the chance of the process starting all over or dragging on longer than it needs to. Pay attention to the deadlines and have everything ready long before the deadline arrives so you aren’t rushing around trying to get it done at the last minute.
