The SSDI Application Step by Step

What the SSDI Application Actually Involves

An SSDI application is a two-part submission: Form SSA-16 (Application for Disability Insurance Benefits) and Form SSA-3368 (Disability Report). Together they establish your insured status, alleged onset date, medical history, and work history. SSA also collects your W-2s or self-employment tax records to verify earnings. You can file online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or in person at any SSA field office. Filing as early as possible matters: your back-pay window is capped at 12 months before the application date under 42 U.S.C. §423(b), and there is a mandatory five-month waiting period before the first payment is made.

The Disability Report (SSA-3368) is where most applicants hurt themselves. SSA asks about every condition, every doctor, every hospital visit, and every job you held in the last 15 years. Leaving out providers delays the file. Overstating your activities on the Activities of Daily Living form (SSA-787) can be used against you later. The Function Report (SSA-3373) asks detailed questions about what you can and cannot do — answers must be consistent with what your treating physicians document. SSA Disability Determination Services (DDS) in Albany will review everything and may schedule a Consultative Examination (CE) with an SSA-contracted doctor if your own records are incomplete.

Initial decisions in New York take six to eight months on average, according to SSA data. If denied — and most first-time filers are — you have 60 days to request Reconsideration. Missing that deadline usually means starting over, which resets your back-pay clock. Our attorneys review your application before submission, gather updated medical records, and flag any inconsistencies that DDS might use against you. We handle bilingual applications for Spanish-speaking clients across New York City and the surrounding region. The entire process is no-fee unless we win.