Sometimes, a disability in your body can affect the way you work, eat or live your normal life. Whether it is physical or mental, it is a big obstacle for people that need to earn money for their basic needs, but this is not the end for you. If you are a resident of Connecticut, you should consider applying for disability benefits.
These provide special help for people suffering from any disability, and there are different ways that you can apply for it. The state agency in charge of checking your eligibility is the Disability Determination Services (DDS), so before you start, it is better that you know everything about the healthcare programs available.
That is why we are going to show you the process of disability benefits in Connecticut, and the information you must gather for it.
Disability benefits in programs
In order to know the steps to apply for disability as a Connecticut resident, we recommend that you get to know which services you can expect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays monthly benefits through two programs:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). This is made for people that worked long enough and also have paid their social security taxes.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It is aimed at low-income families that cannot afford basic needs.
Of course, the primary requirement for these programs is having a disability. According to the SSA website:
In other words, your medical condition needs to be something severe that it cannot let you do your daily activities like walking, writing, sitting, or even suffer from memory loss; and it also cannot be a short-term condition.
Some medical conditions that are qualified for these programs are:
- Heart conditions
- Chronic anemia
- Schizophrenia or any other mental illnesses
- Asthma
- Hearing and vision loss
- Conditions on the endocrine system
- Immune system disorders
- Cellulitis
Documentation you need to gather
After confirming that your case supports the disability requirements, you have to prepare the documentation needed. It is essential that you do not miss any of these, as this will affect your eligibility:
- Birth certificate
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status
- A copy of your most recent W-2 Form
- In case you are self-employed, provide your last year’s federal tax returns
- Medical records that show your conditions
- Laboratory and test results
- Any prescription for drugs
Keep in mind that most of these documents can be copies, but things like a birth certificate must be the original.
Options to apply for disability benefits in Connecticut
There are three ways that you can submit the information needed to get your disability benefits in Connecticut:
Apply online
For starters, this is the fastest way that you can do it. You have to know that the processing time of accepting an application is between three and five months, so find the perfect day to apply online.
- First of all, go to the Apply for benefits website and after reading the terms of service, click on ‘Start a New Application’.
- Select if you are applying for yourself or helping someone else.
- Then, you will need to sign in to your my Social Security account. If you do not have one, the website will ask you to create one.
- Follow the prompts while providing the documentation and other types of data. You need information regarding date and place of birth, marriage, and divorce, US military services, education, job history, your medical conditions, etc. If you want to know what other information you need to provide, download this document.
Apply in-person
If you decide to apply for disability near a local office in Connecticut, you can call them and make an appointment first. You can locate a social security office by using a locator tool that the SSA provides.
You just have to enter the ZIP code of your city, and you will have the address and phone numbers of the nearest office.
Apply by phone
If that is not enough, you can also use a toll-free contact center by calling at 1-800-772-1213 where you can file a claim and apply for disability in Connecticut.