Most long-term disability (LTD) policies require claimants to apply for Social Security disability as well. This is mainly because Social Security benefits and Medicaid/Medicare benefits can reduce costs for the LTD carrier over the course of a claimant’s lifetime.

The best route to take in this situation is to consult an attorney that has disability experience, since they will most likely have an ongoing relationship with LTD carriers and will know how to satisfy their requirements.  Your attorney will hopefully be able to get you your Social Security Disability benefits in addition to your LTD benefits, thereby increasing your payments.

The practice of LTD carriers requiring that their payees file for Social Security disability has been scrutinized recently, when the New York Times published a report about this activity on April 1, 2008.  The report suggested that the LTD rules stating that you have to apply for disability are worsening the already problematic wait times for regular Social Security claimants.  It argued that LTD claimants, while classified as disabled under LTD standards, may not be eligible under SSA standards.  Therefore, these LTD claimants are slowing down the system.

Additionally, some LTD claimants either do not want to apply for Social Security disability or do not end up winning even if they do apply.  Since the LTD providers can suspend LTD benefits if their requirements are not met, a failure to apply for Social Security or even a failure to win your case can result in a huge hassle with your LTD provider.  This is why it is best to consult an experienced attorney who will be able to better your chances of getting Social Security Disability benefits.