The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most of us to conduct some sort of business online and Social Security business is no different. If you decide to apply for Social Security benefits, and are comfortable with online services, the best option for you is to apply online, which you can do from the comfort of your home. Before you decide to apply for benefits you should learn about what information you will need and how to navigate the application. Below is information provided by Social Security to provide for an easier submission of the application.
Applying Online for Disability Benefits
There are four steps in the Online Disability Application Process:
- Provide Background Information,
- Provide Disability Information,
- Sign Medical Release, and
- Confirmation
It may take you between one to two hours to complete all the steps in the application process.
You must complete each step before you move to the next step. However, you do not have to complete all the steps at once.
Completing The Online Disability Application Process
After you provide some of the background information, you will get a page with a Re-entry Number and other important information about your application.
You need to print the page with the Re-entry Number or write the number down. If you cannot complete the application process during your first visit, you can use your Re-entry Number to come back later.
The First Two Steps
The questions in the first two steps are divided into sections.
If you do not have the information you need to answer all the questions on a page, you can select the tab at the top of the page to move to another section.
If you use the tab to move to another section, your work on that page will not be saved. However, you can come back and answer those questions later.
Warning: You cannot use periods, commas, and other special characters when you answer some of the questions. If you use a character that a field cannot accept and you try to go to another page, you will get a message that tells you there is a problem and what caused it.
Example: You cannot use a period as part of an address. If you type “27 N. Main St.” instead of “27 N Main St” in an address field, you will get a message when you try to go to the next page.
“Dialogue boxes” appear automatically on some pages to give you additional information about either the option you chose or the question you are about to answer.
The first two steps include a “Remarks” section that lets you enter additional information you want to include or cannot fit elsewhere. If you do not have enough room in “Remarks,” write the information on a separate sheet of paper and send it to us at the address we will give you after you complete the application.
It is important to be aware that this will not be the only information Social Security will need in making a decision on a claim and more information will be required as the application process progresses. You should respond to calls and letters seeking more information promptly.
