A Social Security disability application has multiple sections, and all of those sections should be completed and submitted at the same time. This checklist will help you to organize everything you need for a strong application:

• Locate your social security card or, if you do not have a card, verify that you are using the correct social security number on your application.
• Get valid proof of your age, including, for example, a birth certificate.
• Confirm that you have the correct names (including spellings) of every doctor, caseworker, medical center, or clinic that treated your injury or disability, and verify the dates of every medical appointment that you had with them.
• Check the names and dosages of any medicines that doctors prescribed or recommended that you take, and make sure that you are using those medications per your doctor’s recommendations.
• Contact your doctors and ask for copies of all medical records and laboratory or test results that show the type and extent of your disability, including expected recovery time.
• Write a detailed description of the type of work that you do, the places you have worked, and the people or companies that employed you.
• Have copies of your W-2 income forms and tax returns that show the level of your income before you experienced your disability.

The Social Security Administration will want to see original documents or certified copies of documents from the offices that issued them. The Administration will return the original documents to you, but it will generally not accept photocopies of original documents.