How to Organize your Disability Evidence Before Submitting to SSA

Whether you're applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), one thing is certain: evidence is key. To establish your eligibility for these benefits, you'll need to provide comprehensive and well-organized evidence that demonstrates the extent of your impairments and their impact on your daily life.

If you have used our products, such as the Social Security Disability Claim Builder, or our numerous Social Security resources, you already have the valuable evidence you need. Now it is time to organize the file and deliver it to Social Security.

In this blog post, I will discuss two methods of delivering your evidence: digital and paper. I recommend submitting digital documents whenever possible for additional HIPAA protections and proof of delivery. However, if you are not technology savvy or you do not have access to digital fax machine, paper documents can be just as effective.

Digital Documents

If you developed your claim digitally, you should have PDFs, Word Documents, and images of your medical records, forms, questionnaires, application coversheet, and other claim evidence. If some of your documents are still in a physical paper format, you will need to scan the documents into your computer.

How to Scan Documents: 

You have two options for how to scan your documents: using a scanner or by using a scanner application on your phone or tablet.

To use a physical scanner, you will need to follow the instructions for your specific scanner’s make and model. However, most scanners follow these basic instructions:

1. Open the scanner application on your computer.

2. Connect the scanner to your computer.

3. Place your documents in the feeder tray or on the scanning glass.

4. Click scan on the scanner application.

5. Preview the scanned documents to ensure that the scan is clear and legible.

6. Click download and choose the folder on your computer you would like to save the PDF in. 

Each phone and tablet application will have different instructions for how to scan documents. I commonly use the iPhone’s Files applications for scanning documents on the go. To scan documents on the Files application, use the following instructions: 

1. Click the location you would like to scan the document to: iCloud Drive or On My iPhone.

2. Click the folder and any subfolder you would like to scan the document to (you can always move the document at a later time).

3. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the screen

4. Click Scan Documents.

5. Position your phone or tablet directly above the document. The application will attempt to auto-scan the document, but you can click the white circle at the bottom to manually scan.

6. Drag the corners of the box to match the corners of your document.

7. Click Retake if the document is illegible or blurry.

8. Click Keep Scan if you are happy with the document’s scan quality.

9. Repeat steps 5-8 for every page of your document.

10. Click save after you have scanned every page.

11. The title of the file will be highlighted for you to change the name. Type a name that will allow the document to be easily identified. For example: Dr. Smith Medical Records (DATE).

12. Once you are happy with the name you have chosen, click Done.

Congratulations now all your documents are digitally saved!

How to Convert Your Documents to a PDF:

If some of your documents were created on a Word Document or other word processor, you will need to convert these files to a PDF. This is a pretty easy fix!

1. Open the document in the word processor you used to create it.

2. Click print (there should be a printer icon or a Print option in the menu bar).

3. In the bottom left corner of the print wizard, you should see a PDF button. Click the PDF button.

4. Change the title of your PDF to a name that will make it easy to identify.

5. Choose the location you would like the PDF to be shared.

6. Click Save.

7. Repeat this process for any other documents you need to convert to a PDF.

If you have any other type of file, you can enter the file into the SmallPDF Converter.

1. Open the SmallPDF Converter page.

2. Click Choose Files or Drag the file to the box.

3. Click Convert.

How to Combine PDFs into one PDF file:

If you are digitally faxing your documents, you will need to have all your documents in one PDF file. First, you will need to create a table of contents for your documents. We have a Table of Contents template available for download here.

Additionally, you will need a fax coversheet. Pre-fill as much of the template as you can, but you may need to wait to complete the page count until you have combined all your documents except the fax coversheet. 

HINT: If you combine all your documents before adding the fax coversheet, just add one page to the total page count.

To combine your documents follow these steps:

1. Head to the SmallPDF Merge page.

2. Click Choose Files or drop the first file into the box.

3. Click Add More to add additional files.

4. Click, hold, and drag the file previews to reorder the files.

5. Click Merge PDF.

6. Click Download.

7. Check the page count on the combined PDF.

8. Enter the page count into the Fax Coversheet.

9. Save the Fax Coversheet as a PDF.

10. Repeat steps 1-6 to combine the Fax Coversheet to the combined file.

Now your documents are ready for a digital fax! I recommend retaining the individual files, just in case there are any lost documents in the faxing process. These individual documents can also become useful if you need to appeal your claim’s decision.

Paper Documents

Paper documents can be organized just as nicely as digital documents with a little bit of work. However, paper documents can be costly because of printing and shipping costs. To organize your paper documents complete the following:

1. Open the Table of Contents and edit it according to your claim’s evidence.

2. Print the Table of Contents, your application coversheet, and any evidence that is still digital.

3. Organize the papers according the Table of Contents.

Preparing your Documents for Mail

To mail your documents you will need to complete the following:

1. Bind your documents with a paper clip, binder clip, or rubber band.

2. Label your package with your return address and the Social Security office address listed on the application coversheet.

3. Seal the package.

4. Ship the package.

Pro Tip: Ship via USPS and either purchase Certified Mail plus a Return Receipt or Signature Confirmation. This gives you confirmation SSA received your evidence and your private information was not lost in the mail.

Preparing your Documents for Fax

If you are using a traditional fax machine, you will need to have all documents in paper form.

1. Create a fax coversheet and complete the fields.

2. Print the fax coversheet.

3. Add the fax coversheet to the top of your documents.

4. Add the documents to the feeder tray.

5. Enter the fax number into the machine.

6. Send the fax.

Conclusion

As you can see, it can be complicated to organize your documents. However, the efforts you put in now will be worth it soon! By preparing now, you are giving your Social Security Disability application the best chance of suceeding.

We understand that it can be overwhelming to prepare an application while you are sick. We are here to help!

If you are just starting to build your application file, we offer the Social Security Disability Claim Builder. Have an avatar guide you through the claim building process with special tips from our Disability Experts. As you build the claim in the Claim Builder, your documents will be added to your online portal for easy and organized access for submitting your evidence.