Beware of Ten Mistakes after Social Security Denies Disability...(even if there was an error that nobody c...),Health

6. Applicants do not provide continuous updates to the DDS about their case. While you are appealing, you should continue to provide information on doctors' visits, hospital visits and medical tests, such as CT scans and MRIs. "You need to make sure the DDS has this information. Don't wait for the next appeal to provide that," Ms. Ratermann said. "Keep in mind, it also can be a difficult and time-consuming process getting this information to DDS. In some cases, you must know who your examiner is, and you may be required to fax the information to the DDS office."

7. Applicants don't keep copies of their applications and records. ''These documents are useful when you make an appeal. And this can be one of the biggest mistakes because documents can get lost,'' Ms. Ratermann said. "After you've spent so much time compiling medical records, contacting doctors' offices and putting on the miles -- it's one of the worst feelings to hear that those documents have been lost."

8. Applicants underestimate the extent of their own disabilities. "A lot of people forget the modifications that they've made to their lives to cope with their disabilities,'' Ms. Ratermann said. ''And because of this, people make another mistake when they appeal -- they say that their condition hasn't changed. It's very unlikely that's true. Something has changed, whether you are experiencing more pain, or you've been in the hospital again or you've undergone additional tests."

9. Applicants don't know they can get representation services at any level of the process. About 90 percent o
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