Many people understand the struggles that come with trying to obtain financial benefits from the government. Though benefits programs are in place to help struggling individuals, the agencies that oversee the programs are strict when it comes to enforcing stipulations and requirements for receiving benefits. However, if a person hoping to receive Social Security Disability benefits does not believe that he or she qualifies at first glance, looking closer may prove otherwise.
The Blue Book
The Social Security Administration determines whether a person qualifies for SSD benefits. The SSA has a publication known as the Blue Book that lists conditions, disabilities and impairments that the SSA believe qualify for benefits. The book provides a great deal of information that is not always easily understandable to the average person but that can provide disability evaluators and medical professionals with useful information in determining whether a person may have a disabling condition worthy of benefits.
What if a condition is not in the book?
Of course, the Blue Book does not contain an exhaustive list of conditions or aspects of a condition that qualify individuals for benefits. As a result, even if a person’s condition is not specifically listed in the book or is listed but the person does not meet all the stipulations, the chance still exists that the person could qualify for benefits. Though the Blue Book can act as a helpful guide as an evaluator assesses a case, the evaluator could obtain other information that makes it clear that a condition is deserving of benefits.
Preparing for an evaluation
Because the application and evaluation by a Social Security Disability examiner play vital parts in the process, it is important that individuals prepare as best as possible. These preparation efforts could include gathering medical information relating to the condition, gaining testimonies from doctors and other parties attesting to the disabling nature of the condition, evidence of missed work or an inability to work, and more. Typically, the more relevant information an evaluator has to go on, the more likely it is for an approval to occur.
