Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits

Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability is an essential book for anyone dealing with a long-term or permanent disability. Written both for first-time applicants and those who already receive Social Security disability, the book demystifies the program in plain English, thoroughly explaining:

-what Social Security disability is
-what benefits are available to disabled children
-how to prove a disability
-how age, education and work experience affect benefits
-whether or not one can work while receiving benefits
-how to appeal a denial of benefits
-how to respond to a Continuing Disability Review
-and much more

Plus: The included CD-ROM provides in-depth medical listings to help you determine what you qualify for. It covers breathing disabilities, heart disease, mental disorders, speech impairments, cancer, immune system disorders -- and much more.

The 3rd edition is completely updated with the latest rules, information and medical listings. User-friendly appendices translate bureaucratic terms, provide medical-vocational rules, and list Social Security benefit publications.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Up To Dat Information that anyone on disability needs., 2008-06-02
It is no fun being diabled but it is even worse to go thru a 3 year fight to get what you have paid into for 30 years. This book tells you everything you need to do each step of the way. I wish I had it then. I got it for the keeping it part as I am having my first review. I am even more sick than before and the letter you get from SSA is quite upsettting. This book helps you put it into perspective. A must have for all people on SSDI or those who manage others who are.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Complete and thorough tutorial on making your disability claim a success, 2008-04-30
This book helped me get my federal disability claim on my 2nd try. The author, a former federal employee for the Social Security department, explains in good detail the best way to file for your claim.

He explains that the reason many filers get denied even though they have a valid claim is because they didn't have the right kind of documentation. What is the right kind of documentation? First of all, it must meet the medical wording guidelines of the Social Security Department. Has your medical provider written up your diagnosis clearly with enough sufficient detail?

Keep in mind that not all doctors are good at written communication. They tend to be busy and so might write up your description in the briefest language possible. You might also have a doctor who is just plain careless and sloppy with word choice usage. (We've all heard about the stereotype of messy doctor's writing.) Make sure you ask nicely (preferably in writing) that the doctor write according to federal standards. If you have access to the Internet, then you can check out their writing guidelines online.

Secondly, make sure your medical records department send copies of your medical documents promptly. Again, a nicely worded and toned voice mail and/or letter should do the job.

The other interesting fact he mentioned is that some federal examiners tend to grant claims at a lower rate, while others tend to grant claims at a higher rate. You have the right to find out who your examiner is and what their denial rate is. Some work faster than others. There is currently a backlog of claims, so don't be surprised if your claim can take as long as over one year to be decided on. In my case, I was very fortunate to have my second claim granted within one year of filing.

Not all true disabilities are accepted by the federal government. Check out their website for the latest medical definitions. I met one woman in Seattle who told me she was filing her disability claim on the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, even though her true disability is Disassociative Identity Disorder (otherwise known as Multiple Personality Disorder.) This is because one of her alters actually does have bipolar disorder. I haven't seen her since but I do hope her claim was granted. (This conversation took place about three years ago, when the feds didn't recognize DID/MPD.)

Even some skin disorders are accepted as disabilities if they prevent you from working full time.

Once you get the disability claim granted, you are allowed to supplement your disability income by almost $900 per month as of 2008. This maximum amount goes up per year according to cost of living increases.

According to federal guidelines, a disability is a condition that prevents someone from working full-time in any capacity they have the skills, knowledge, and experience for.


3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Keeping Your Social Security Benefits, 2007-06-08
This book gave you examples of the language you need to use. Pretty easy to read and I did find it helpful.


5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Great book; up-to-date information, 2007-05-27
this is a must for those of us who deserve disability, but will have to fight for our rights. some of us have what's referred to as "invisible problems" such as chronic severe back problems, Fibromyalgia, MS, etc, and this book is really good. Certainly worth the price.


9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

Very Informative, 2007-01-09
This book gave a step by step process to apply for social security disability. It also answered every question that I had. This is a must read for anyone considering disability.

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