When a person becomes unable to work due to a disabling condition, he or she may wish to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. The process of applying for SSDI can feel onerous and complex as it involves many steps and a plethora of required documentation.
The difficulties some people experience in applying for SSDI logically lead them to seek help in making their applications. Unfortunately, the very act of working with another person to apply for and receive SSD benefits may introduce yet another hurdle into the mix.
Multiple ways to apply for SSDI
As explained by the Social Security Administration, a person may complete his or her own SSDI application online. However, when another person provides assistance in making an application for SSD benefits, the SSA may require a physical signature versus an electronic signature.
Signature requirement legality questioned
A report in The Hill indicates that some people have voiced concerns about the SSA’s requirement for a physical, or wet, signature on Social Security Disability applications via parties other than the disabled applicants themselves. Requiring this type of signature may pose a hurdle, potentially an impassable one, for some disabled people as they physically cannot enter some of the facilities.
Mandating a physical signature from a person who cannot enter a building may introduce discrimination against that disabled person. An effort to overturn this requirement and allow electronic signatures for all Social Security Disability applications, including those initiated with the help of another party, has been initiated. The goal of the effort is to make it easier for a disabled person to receive the assistance they need.
