Customer Reviews

Disability Workbook for Social Security Applicants, Sixth Edition 2005

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who is considering applying for Social Security disabiliity benefits should order this book immediately. I am attorney and have been representing Social Security claimants for over 20 years. The biggest problem most of my clients have is the overwhelming amount of information that you must provide to Social Security. Mr. Smith's book explains why each piece of information is needed for a successful result on your claim.

I have been using this book since its 1st Edition and I have never been disappointed. The most important part of the book is the section with six worksheets where you can assemble all the information you will need for your application. Even the most disorganized person will be able to use these invaluable worksheets. Many of my clients come to me after completing these worksheets and the initial interview goes twice as fast.

For successful applicants, the appendices on Continuing Disability Reviews and the Ticket to Work Act are completely up to date and provide excellent guidance.

In short, I give this book the highest rating for both its plain language approach and its superb contents. More self-help books shoould be this easy to use and useful.

After personally speaking to Mr. Smith, I was convinced of his sincerity and committment to helping those applying for SSDI. I purchased this book, used the forms, and I got it on my first try.

His forms that I filled out(daily activities) and attached to all of my Doctor's forms were extraordinarily helpful and I believe essential in the decision making process for Social Security. It also proved helpful to the doctors who were making their reports. As long as your doctors know you, they still cannot be with you all day to know your moment to moment activities. These forms give them a birds eye view of what one deals with on a daily basis.

I recommend this book very highly.

>I cannot say enough good things about attorney Douglas Smith's Disability Workbook. As a social worker with lupus, I had reached the point where I could no longer work, and thought that my social work experience would be an asset to me in my disability application. But when faced with the actual
application, I became completely overwhelmed. Fortunately a friend put me on to Doug's book, which was invaluable. It showed me how to organize my claim, illustrated what a medical report that is acceptable to Social Security should look like, provided forms to help me put it all together. I believe it was because of Doug's suggestions that my claim was approved on my first
try (up to 50% of first claims are denied, I have heard). My doctor also appreciated the information on how to write a good medical report. He knew I was sick and could not work but he did not know how to get that information across in a way that was acceptable to Social Security. This book is well worth the cost, is informative, empowering and gets results.
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>I cannot say enough good things about attorney Douglas Smith's Disability Workbook. As a social worker with lupus, I had reached the point where I could no longer work, and thought that my social work experience would be an asset to me in my disability application. But when faced with the actual
application, I became completely overwhelmed. Fortunately a friend put me on to Doug's book, which was invaluable. It showed me how to organize my claim, illustrated what a medical report that is acceptable to Social Security should look like, provided forms to help me put it all together. I believe it was because of Doug's suggestions that my claim was approved on my first
try (up to 50% of first claims are denied, I have heard). My doctor also appreciated the information on how to write a good medical report. He knew I was sick and could not work but he did not know how to get that information across in a way that was acceptable to Social Security. This book is well worth the cost, is informative, empowering and gets results.

I definately give this book an A+!
>

You need this book. You need this workbook, even if you think your disability application will be successful, and even if you have an attorney. Most importantly, it keeps you organized while you are stressed from illness, financial insecurity, and uncertainty. It provides a framework to keep you organized, especially if you have many disabling conditions which must be considered in combination, and must be presented together to SSA.

After assembling your information in the format provided by this workbook, you can see if anything is missing, or needs updating, or is conflicting, and requires further explanation. You can also be confident that you are communicating your data completely and consistently to the many interviewers, on the multiple SSA forms and through the numerous levels of review, that you may encounter in your application process.

Another advantage of this book for yourself and for your application, is that it allows your individual medical specialists to get a complete picture of your overall health and of the conditions that disable you. For example, it might help your orthopedist decide whether you can walk on uneven surfaces, if he is aware that your field of vision is restricted. And once the workbook questionaires are filled out, they can serve as the beginning of a health diary, which will help you manage your health and deal with the periodic SSA reviews of your disability once you get it.

Finally, the biggest advantage you get from this workbook, is that it puts the SSA employees on your team by making it easier for them to do their jobs. You are providing them with the information they need on your case in an accessible format which is simple for them to process and evaluate.

Do yourself a favor. Get the Disability Workbook by Douglas M . Smith.

If you are applying for disability, this is the only book you need to guide you through everything. I've highly recommended it to thousands of people with chronic illness through HopeKeepers Magazine.

This workbook consolidates the information needed to prove disability claims and win benefits. It guides applicants through the application process with the goal of getting benefits promptly, without unnecessary appeals. The new edition discusses the "proofs" that the Social Security Administration processors look for, and it tells you how to keep your benefits through periodic disability reviews. The book is important because two-thirds of claims for Social Security disability benefit are denied initially.

Be sure to visit the author's web site too at http://www.disabilityfacts.com . It includes a variety of free articles for personal use, including: Prospects Improve for Winning Disability Quickly, Social Security Disability Outline (What to Expect), and Daily Activities Worksheet (very helpful when filling out the forms). Many frequently asked questions about applying for benefits are also addressed.

Resources available for a small purchase price include helpful items such as "Disability Evaluation in a Nutshell: A Three Minute Guide to Effective Medical Reports," to ensure that your doctor is keeping medical records and being an advocate for your health.

You will feel like you've got an inside scoop on how the system works. .

As a lawyer I recommend three books to individuals who ask for help in getting their Social Security disability benefits. First is our Disability Workbook for Social Security Applicants. Everyone tells me that this book greatly simplifies getting disability benefits. I can testify that interviewing a client is much easier when he or she has used the Disability Workbook. Second, the book How to Get SSI and Social Security Disability, by Mike Davis, is insightful and easy to read. Mr. Davis is a former disability examiner. His clear explanations of common bureaucratic problems make his book one of my favorites. Finally, I use Dr. David Morton's Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability. Dr. Morton is a former disability determination services staff physician who describes Social Security medical decision making better than anyone else I know. Every doctor who communicates with Social Security about patients should have Dr, Morton's book on the shelf - and every disability lawyer. I give all three books the highest rating.

I wrote the above title and have been in touch with Doug. Little did I know there would be a time when I would need to apply for SSI for someone in my family. Doug's book is indespensible to the SSDI/SSI disability claimant. He lists the information you'll need and plenty of forms are included. He's also got some hints like "get a face-to-face" interview. It's your right. What more can I say, I wrote a book on the subject and for additional help I turned to Doug's book immediately and it comes through with the goods. I think my book "How to Get SSI and Social Security Disability" still has vital and helpful information to add, despite some self-styled "expert" who says my book is a lie. This same expert has the same opinion of Dr. Morton's book by Nolo. I am an expert and I give Doug's book a full 2 thumbs up.
Mike Davis

Disability Workbook provides useful basic information about Social Security disability. However, its greatest strength lies in the way it can help the reader organize their medical and other disability information. For example, there are blank forms that can be completed by the reader regarding what kind of medical problems they have (impairments), the doctors they have seen, the hospitals they have been in, the medications and therapy received, their daily activities, and their work histories. By getting organized ahead of time with this kind of information, those filing for disability can save themselves a lot of time and trouble. It is an ideal companion to Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability.

Disability Workbook provides useful basic information about Social Security disability. However, its greatest strength lies in the way it can help the reader organize their medical and other disability information. For example, there are blank forms that can be completed by the reader regarding what kind of medical problems they have (impairments), the doctors they have seen, the hospitals they have been in, the medications and therapy received, their daily activities, and their work histories. By getting organized ahead of time with this kind of information, those filing for disability can save themselves a lot of time and trouble. This book is a good companioin purchase with Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability.