Disability for an Adult

• 1). Meet the basic qualifications for disability. The Social Security Administration defines this as having a disability expected to last longer than a year or be fatal and by being incapable of either resuming your previous occupation or adjusting to a new one.
  
  
• 2). Be capable of proving that you worked recently before your disability and contributed enough money in taxes to draw disability payments. The amount of previous tax contributions necessary to prove eligibility will vary, depending on your age group.
  
  
• 3). Read the Adult Disability Starter Kit located on the Social Security Administration's website. This information packet provides you with a review of the application process and worksheets to help you gather the proper information to apply successfully.
  
  
• 4). Complete the online application for disability benefits located at http://ssa.gov.
  
  
• 5). Read the Adult Disability report and sign a waiver form allowing your doctor to release your medical records to the federal government for review. The government must have access to your medical history before it can make a decision about whether to award you disability benefits.
  
  
• 6). Wait for your application to be approved or denied. This process can take anywhere from three to five months. If you are approved, you will receive disability benefits starting six months from the date you became disabled.
  
  

Disability for a Child

• 1). Read the Child Disability Starter Kit. This kit contains a fact sheet with information about disability for children. It also includes a checklist for the disability interview and worksheets to help you determine your child's eligibility.
  
  
• 2). Contact the Social Security Administration by telephone to determine the child's eligibility. This will depend on the financial resources of the parents and whether those parents meet the income and tax contribution qualifications.
  
  
• 3). Fill out a disability report for the child. This includes signing a waiver permitting the child's physician to release his medical records.