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Anyone who has applied for Social Security Disability benefits knows exactly how long and drawn out the disability claim and appeal process can be.

Whether you’ve filed a claim for disability benefits based on a mentally disabling condition or have primarily a physical condition which also causes mental capacity issues, you’ll need to adequately describe the limitations you experience in order to be found eligible for benefits. It is sometimes difficult to figure out whether or not you are capable of working.

May has been denoted as Tuberous Sclerosis Awareness Month, but for those living with this rare genetic disorder, every day is a challenge. The fact that most people, including those who work for the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Disability Determination Services (DDS), are not familiar with the disorder and the affects it has on those who have it, can make applying for Social Security Disability (SSD) with a diagnosis of Tuberous Sclerosis an uphill battle.

May is National Neurofibromatosis Month, and as such, it seems an apt time to discuss in some detail the application process for Social Security Disability benefits when diagnosed with this condition.

Mental Health Month began in 1949 and May marks the 63rd year of celebrating awareness of mental health conditions. This year Mental Health America is focusing on two different themes including “Do More for One in Four” and “Healing Trauma’s Invisible Wounds”.

An application for Social Security Disability (SSD) can be entirely based on a disabling, stress related disorder, or can have an emotional stress component which exacerbates a physical disability. In either case, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will want to see specific documentation in your application related to the emotional stress condition you have. They will also apply standard evaluation criteria when examining your claim for SSD benefits.

It can be almost impossible to measure pain. Pain is subjective in nature, after all. What one person finds to be excruciating another person may be able to tolerate. So when a person is disabled due to pain, how does the Social Security Administration determine whether or not that person is disabled according to the SSA guidelines? Exactly how does the SSA define and evaluate pain when pain is so subjective and varies from one person to the next?

There are many disabling conditions, which include an environmental impairment aspect, like hypersensitivity to noise and light, or inability to tolerate dust, fumes or other common environmental elements found in the workplaces within your field of expertise.

Most Social Security Disability applicants wait months if not years for the date of their disability hearing to arrive, and spend considerable time preparing for their hearing. It goes without saying that postponing a hearing is not something anyone wants to do. To make matters worse, if you do miss your hearing and you don’t have a very good reason for doing so, the Administrative Law Judge overseeing your case may decide to deny your disability benefits.

When a Social Security Disability applicant submits a claim for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, the person who processes the claim refers to a listing, known as the Blue Book, to determine whether or not the condition that the person is suffering from qualifies the individual for Social Security Disability benefits.