What does it take to prove to Social Security that you are disabled? Today’s infographic helps clear the confusion about the five step sequential evaluation used by Social Security to determine disability. To see how it works, click on this visual aid to walk through the Social Security Disability evaluation process. Social Security’s main concern …
Category: SSDI
Social Security Disability Appeals Process Image
Social Security Disability Appeal

When you apply for Social Security Disability, there is a 65% chance your claim will be denied. Yet, more than 70% of claimants who were denied at first are awarded benefits at the administrative level of the Social Security disability appeals process. Does this mean that the claims were not justified when they were first …
Social Security Disability Advocates
You may be one of thousands of people who were denied Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Now you need help to win your claim. In your search for qualified help, you have probably run across all kinds of websites or TV commercials advertising Social Security disability “advocates” “experts” or “representatives.” What you may not …
Social Security Advocate
Attorney Representation · Social Security Advocate As an attorney who is a Social Security Advocate, I am able to act as your highly qualified legal representative, fighting on your behalf for Social Security Disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income. I will help you throughout the entire process as needed, from the initial application right up …
How to Win Social Security Disability Benefits for Spinal Disorders Using Listing 1.04
Anyone applying for disability benefits from the SSA has two possible ways to prove that they qualify:
They can meet the requirements defined for individual conditions in the SSA’s Listings of Impairments.
They can prove that they are unable to work due to their impairment by using the SSA’s Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process.
Of the two options, meeting one of the listings is by far the preferred method because it’s much more straightforward. What are the Listings of Impairments? These are a list of medical criteria or standards that the SSA has come up with to define a particular condition. Anyone who proves they meet one of these definitions qualifies for disability benefits
Winning Social Security Disability Benefits for Weight Bearing Joint Surgery Using Listing 1.03
If you are filing a claim for reconstructive surgery or arthrodesis of a major weight-bearing joint, you need to know what the SSA wants to see in order to approve the claim and get the benefits you deserve.
How can you qualify? The most straightforward way is to meet the definition the SSA has laid out in their Listings of Impairments for this specific issue. These listings are the medical standards or set of criteria that the organization has laid out for individual conditions. If someone can prove they meet these criteria, they automatically qualify to receive disability benefits.
Winning Social Security Disability for Spinal Disorders
Disorders of the spine are a specific kind of musculoskeletal impairment where the actual architecture of the spine can become distorted, impinging on and “pinching” nerve roots and even the spinal cord. As you might imagine, this is a disability that can cause people a great deal of pain, lead to loss of feeling or ability to move, or a combination of the two. If you believe that you or someone you love is suffering from a spinal disorder, have them speak with an experienced disability attorney as soon as possible so that they can be examined by a qualified physician.
There are a number of issues related to this impingement on nerve tissue:
Social Security Disability: The Spinal Exam
In my previous post, I have talked about a number of tests and procedures you’ll need to undergo to prove to Social Security that you’re suffering from a musculoskeletal disorder, as well as defining “loss of function.” But if the impairment you’re dealing with involves your spine, there are a number of very specific things that you’re going to have to do in order to be accepted for disability by the SSA.
Social Security Disability: Musculoskeletal Issue Diagnosis
In my previous two posts, I have defined musculoskeletal disorders and described “loss of function,” but still haven’t delved into what you have to show to the SSA in order to get the benefits for your disability that you need to live as normally as possible.
As you might imagine, there are a number of steps involved to get a monthly disability check. The first one is to actually receive a clinical diagnosis for a covered musculoskeletal impairment. How do you go about doing this?