| If you or someone you care about has been | | | | 3. Names of any medications you're taking |
| diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you should know that | | | | 4. Any medical records you personally possess |
| Social Security disability benefits may be available to | | | | 5. An original or certified copy of your birth certificate |
| help ease some of the financial strain you may be | | | | 6. If you were born outside the U.S, you'll need proof |
| experiencing. | | | | of U.S. citizenship or legal residency |
| You should also know that the average approval rate | | | | 7. If you were in the military, your original or certified |
| for Social Security disability claims is only 25% - 30%. | | | | copy of your discharge papers |
| Those sure don't seem like very encouraging | | | | 8. Your W-2 forms or your federal income tax return |
| numbers. | | | | 9. Any workers' compensation information such as |
| Particularly since bipolar disorder is such a serious | | | | date of injury, claim number, and proof of payments |
| mental illness that, according to the National Institute | | | | 10. The social security numbers of your spouse and |
| of Mental Health, affects close to 5.7 million people | | | | your minor children |
| yearly in the United States alone. | | | | 11. Your bank information such as checking and |
| Avoid the #1 Reason Others Fall Into the Denied | | | | savings account numbers |
| Category | | | | 12. A list of all the jobs you've had in the past 15 |
| The number one reason so many disability claims are | | | | years before you got sick |
| denied is actually very simple and completely | | | | 13. The name of a contact person in case you can't |
| avoidable. | | | | be reached |
| It's basically because most claims don't have all the | | | | That might seem like an overwhelming amount of |
| critical or even the correct pieces of information | | | | information to gather just to get your Social Security |
| necessary to complete the application right from the | | | | disability claim started. But miss any part of the 13 |
| get go - especially the precise medical information. | | | | items listed above and you're definitely looking at an |
| 13 Pieces of Information Crucial to Your Bipolar | | | | immediately denied claim. |
| Disorder Disability Claim | | | | Why take that risk when just a little effort on your |
| In order to avoid making the same mistake nearly | | | | part, or perhaps with the help of a family member or |
| 70% of those applying for Social Security benefits | | | | friend, you could begin a winning claim for the bipolar |
| do, here's a list of 13 of the most crucial pieces of | | | | disability benefits you deserve. |
| information you should have at your fingertips for | | | | Albeit probably the single most important step |
| your first application interview: | | | | involved in the process of filing a claim with the Social |
| 1. Complete names, addresses, and phone numbers | | | | Security office for your bipolar disability, it certainly |
| of all your doctors, hospitals you may have been | | | | isn't the only step. |
| admitted to, or medical clinics | | | | Valuable on-line resources are readily available to help |
| 2. Dates you were seen at any of those facilities, | | | | you complete the process of filing a winning bipolar |
| and all your patient I.D. numbers | | | | disorder disability claim. |