Social Security Starter Kit — Adults and Children, Together
What it is:
One place for both Social Security starter kits. Social Security (SSA) provides its own free Disability Starter Kits at ssa.gov — one for adults, and one for children under 18. Each kit has three parts: a fact sheet that answers the questions most people ask, a checklist of the documents and information SSA will request, and a worksheet to help you gather and organize it all. I walk you through your kit, step by step, in plain words.
The steps are the same for adults and children:
Step 1 — Create the sign-in: Create an ID.me or Login.gov account. An adult creates their own, in their own name. For a child, the parent creates it in the parent's own name, with the parent's own photo ID, and enters the child's information in the application. You will need an email you check often, a cell phone for text codes, a government photo ID, and a phone or computer with a camera for a selfie. Never share your password or codes with anyone — not even me.
Step 2 — Gather your kit documents: Work through the checklist for your kit below, and put everything in one secure folder. Do not delay applying if you do not have everything — Social Security will help you get missing information.
Step 3 — Apply online: Start at ssa.gov/apply. For a child, you will also complete the Child Disability Report at ssa.gov/childdisabilityreport.
Step 4 — Save the Reference Number: Always write it down and keep it safe. It is how you prove when you started.
Step 5 — Be patient: Watch your email and your mail for a notice with a phone interview. If Social Security sends you or your child to their doctor, go — Social Security pays for that visit. If Social Security sends forms, do not wait — there is a limited time frame to return them.
Please know:
Social Security makes the decision, in writing. I guide you and teach you the steps — I do not decide, and I cannot promise an approval. If you are denied, ask me — I can help you find a best-fit attorney for an appeal.
For Adults — the ssa.gov Adult Disability Starter Kit
SSA's own kit: SSA Disability Starter Kits page — choose Adult Disability Starter Kit (Publication No. 64-110). The kit's checklist, in plain words:
About you: your date of birth, place of birth, and Social Security number; the name, Social Security number, and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse, with the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death, if any; the name, address, and phone number of two people (not your healthcare providers) who know about your medical conditions and can help with your claim; and your bank's routing and account numbers for direct deposit.
Your medical conditions: each condition that limits your ability to work; the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, nurse practitioners, hospitals, and clinics that examined or treated you; your medications and who prescribed them; your tests; and any records you already have. You do not need to ask for, or pay for, medical records you do not have. If you had a workers' compensation claim, have the date of injury, claim number, and any settlement details.
Your jobs, education, and training: a list of the jobs you had in the past 5 years, with the dates (month and year) and hours you worked them; any specialized job, trade, or vocational training and when you completed it; and where and when you received special education, if you did.
The worksheet: the kit's Medical and Job Worksheet is optional — it helps you organize the checklist information for your interview or online application. Do not mail the worksheet to Social Security. It is not the application.
Adult checklist from SSA: Adult Disability Starter Kit Checklist (ssa.gov)
For Children (under 18) — the ssa.gov SSI Child Disability Starter Kit
SSA's own kit: Child Disability Starter Kit (ssa.gov, Publication No. 64-112) — it helps you complete the Child Disability Report and get ready for the child disability interview. The kit's checklist, in plain words:
Medical information: the name, address, and phone number of any doctor, therapist, hospital, and clinic that has seen or treated your child in the past 12 months; any records you already have about your child's conditions (you do not need to ask for, or pay for, records you do not have); the medicines your child takes and why, and for prescriptions, who prescribed them; your child's medical assistance number, if any; and the tests your child has had.
School information: the names, addresses, and phone numbers of any schools your child attended in the past 12 months, including teachers, psychologists, counselors, and speech and other therapists who have seen or treated your child; your child's IFSP (early intervention) or IEP (special education), if your child has one, and any other school records you have; and any school testing, such as tests for behavior or learning problems.
Family and household information: an original or certified copy of your child's birth certificate (if your child was born in another country, also proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency); proof of current income for your child and the family members living in the household — for example pay stubs, self-employment tax returns, unemployment or other program benefits, and child support; and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of any social service programs and caseworkers who know your child.
The worksheet: the kit's worksheet is optional — it helps you organize your child's information, current grade, schools, teachers, therapists, and providers. Do not mail the worksheet to Social Security. It is not the application.
Both kits, side by side, on SSA's own page: ssa.gov Disability Starter Kits
★★★★★
“The guidance and assistance on how to apply made the whole process helpful and much easier to understand.”
— T. Torres, San Antonio, Texas · Social Security Guidance