{"id":14116,"date":"2024-10-22T22:19:15","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T03:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slls.org\/?p=14116"},"modified":"2024-10-29T11:30:31","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T16:30:31","slug":"i-applied-for-social-security-benefits-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slls.org\/en\/i-applied-for-social-security-benefits-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"I Applied for Social Security Benefits. Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social Security will send your case to a state office called Disability Determination Services<\/a> (DDS), which is a branch of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. DDS will assign your case to an analyst. This analyst will send you forms to complete and return in the mail. The DDS analyst may call your phone number to ask you questions about your condition, living situation, daily activities, work history, past medical treatment, upcoming medical appointments, current medications, names or addresses of your doctors or clinics, etc. Ask your doctor(s) to write a letter to DDS explaining your conditions, treatment, and prognosis.<\/p>\n

DDS sometimes wants a doctor to evaluate you before it decides if you qualify for benefits. If DDS decides it needs to schedule an appointment for a doctor to evaluate you, then your application might be delayed further. It is very important that you attend any appointments DDS schedules for you. If you fail to attend an appointment, DDS may decide to deny your claim for failure to cooperate.<\/p>\n

If you are homeless or are about to become homeless, or if you have a medical condition that has become terminal, or a medical condition that fits into one of Social Security\u2019s other high priority groups, call your local Social Security field office to let them know. Here is a \u00a0Complete List of Conditions | Compassionate Allowances | SSA<\/a>). This could speed up how quickly Social Security processes your application.<\/p>\n

I have a hearing scheduled. What should I do to prepare for my hearing?<\/h2>\n

We recommend that you consult or retain an attorney experienced in Social Security law. Most Social Security lawyers do not charge a fee before representing you, but many will take a percentage of the lump sum benefits you receive if you win your case. <\/em><\/p>\n

If you do not want an attorney to represent you, you should get a copies of all your recent medical records and submit them to the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO). OHO is the office that holds Social Security hearings. When your case is assigned to an OHO location, you will get a fax cover sheet with a barcode on it that you can use to send evidence like medical records. You should ask your doctor(s) to write letters that detail your severe symptoms, diagnoses, treatment, and prognosis and send those to OHO, too.<\/p>\n

At your hearing, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will ask you questions about your education, work history, and medical conditions. The ALJ will ask detailed questions about the ways your conditions limit your ability to do daily activities. There will also be a Vocational Expert<\/a> (VE) present. This person gives expert opinion about what kinds of jobs and work tasks someone with your conditions, education, and work background could still do. You (or your representative) and the ALJ will take turns asking the VE questions about this.<\/p>\n

The numbers for the local OHO’s<\/a> (Office of Hearings Operations) in our area are:<\/p>\n