I filed online and found that it was not that hard, just very time consuming. Then I dropped medical records off at the local office within a couple days.

I believe it depends on the situation of your local SS office. It may vary from state to state.
I live in New Jersey. Back in the early 2000 I initially applied by phone. Approximately 48 hours after the phone interview, I received the initial application by mail.

After I completed the application, I took it down to my local SS office. The end of the line was outside & wrapped around the building!!!
I turned right around & mailed my application.

In N.J. the initial application is processed at the local office. Everything else is processed either in Philadelphia or Washington D.C. The "determination & initial $$$" process is done at the state capital Trenton.

Currently, all of my SSDI correspondence is either from Philly or D.C. Never from N.J. the state I reside in.

My yearly SS 1099 tax form & statement come from Philly.


HTH

tx!! - Hmmm, maybe it does vary from state to state. Maybe that is why I am having a difficult time with this question. Thankfully I was granted an extension to my filing deadline. I want to file in the mode that allows one to add the most detail to their filing application, via adding additional pages to write / type on and via the mode that allows one to drop off medical records at local office, since I already have almost all of them. So the remaining question is, in Calif, which mode of initial filing allows one to do that??

I called and spoke to SS on the phone with questions but the person must have been a newbie as their answers were contrary to what is on the SS website. tx

Online filing gives you enough time to fully answer the questions that are asked. Once your case is assigned to a disability analyst at DDS, you could contact them for a method of submitting your medical records to the electronic record by use of a bar code document.

Whatever you submit, the important thing is to get it added to your electronic file. If you handwrite a disability report, some claims rep who does not make a decision on your case has to spend time as a transcriptionist. Once the handwritten document is transcribed, the handwritten document is thrown away.

You don't say what information you want to submit on the additional documents. DDS employees are looking for the answers to the questions asked. Detailed answers to the questions asked are generally the best route to go.

Long drawn out narratives are often full of details that do not matter and may actually harm your case as the DDS analyst eyes glaze over while trying to figure out from your story how long you can sit, stand or walk in an 8 hour workday, how well you can follow instructions, how long you can stay focused to do work related tasks. Look up your illness or condition at the Blue Book at www.socialsecurity.gov and focus your efforts on making sure the application contains information that helps to prove you either meet a listing, or can't do either your old job or an easier job. Be thorough but not wordy. Fine line, I know.

Tx janke! I was told by a CRPS friend that filed in Ohio years ago that a disability attorney in her support group said never file on-line. I had been reading advice in the treads to be detailed and thorough so that was what I was referring to. I expect I should answer the questions in a way to ensure that I tell details of how CRPS inhibits my abilities, rather than just filling in a box, even if it means attaching a page. This same CRPS friend said she was approved first try. Pls feel free to comment further. I value your judgement. Tx!

Janke - The CRPS friend I referred to applied in 2006 for SSD. She advised never apply on-line because you never want to answer certain questions just yes or no. Just as an example, if appropriate, she says one may answer: does your work require walking for your job? Yes, I cannot walk more than 10 feet because ........ I become very unstable on my feet. She apparently believes that type detail cannot be included on-line. Is that the case? tx Janke!

Hey, I applied online and it was fine. Applying online gives you time to take breaks, etc. Our local offices are jammed everytime we go in there. Online is the way to go because you set the pace, you will not be rushed by someone in the office trying to get thru all the appointments. After initial application, they send you and whoever you designate as knowing about your condition (in my case, my husband) a questionnaire. They ask specific questions and you can give as much, or as little, detail on it. It starts with, what do you do from the time you get up until you go to bed? It asks plently of questions about your daily living, how your condition affects your ability to work, etc.

If the disability report is completed online, the answers are seamlessly transferred to the electronic file. If you handwrite a paper disability report, the information has to be transcribed to the electronic file. Either way, all the questions that have yes or no answered have to be answered yes or no in order to create an electronic file that can be used and transferred to DDS. So hoping you can get around the yes or no answers is futile. The end format of the electronic disability report is the same, whether it is started online or handwritten.

If you leave unanswered questions on the disability report, either online or handwritten, the intake SSA employee will either have to recontact you in order to get an answer or will pick a box for you in order to get your case transferred to the DDS. They might also note that YOU left questions unanswered. I do know that some applicants are afraid of putting the 'wrong' answer. Personally, I think if the answer is honest, it cannot be wrong. Some answers may indicate that you are not as disabled as you need to be in order to qualify, but how can that be wrong?

SSA has a structure, a methodology of how claims are created and maintained. You might believe you have a better idea. Your friend may be she has a better idea and a better method. You may think that the structure is too limiting. Doesn't change the fact that you are restricted to the questions that are asked. Remember that the DDS analyst is trained to use that structure and work your case around those questions.

Your statements about your inability to walk more than 10 ft. without becoming unstable is important. However, the real question is can it be documented when reading your medical records? What doctor has observed and documented that? I think there is a way that you complete a detailed online disability report by fully answering all the questions. You are asked about your illnesses and conditions. List them all, including the inability to walk more than 10 ft. without being unstable. My guess is that there is a shorter medical term for it that you add. If you don't know the medical term, use the lay term.

Planning on customizing your own disability claim file the way you want to present it is like hitting your head against the wall. It really is your job to fit your claim into the boxes provided, not the other way. Answer the questions and include your narrative responses in remarks if you want to. Can't tell you, however, if your narrative attachments will be read more than once. Back when we completed claims on paper, there were applicants who completed every square inch on the forms, even where there were no questions. One guy who had no treating sources for his mental problems also attached a four page, single space, teeny margined typed document in which he rambled on and on with words that did not create complete sentences or even complete thoughts. It appeared to be how his mind worked all the time.

Organize your case according to how SSA makes decisions.

SSA has a goal of getting most claims completed online. This is 2014. I would like to be able to get a person to answer the phone right away each time I call a business, but we all know that doesn't work anymore.

Thx Nanc! That is helpful Janke! And the 10 ft comment was merely an example of necessary detail given as my CRPS friend / prior applicant whom was trying to express her thoughts/opinion to me.

Read through the entire BLUE BOOK before you start the application.

And, arrange an FCE ASAP to prove any limitations you're claiming. At the point I had vertigo and was stumbling and falling repeatedly during a span of 6 months, I don't think my Primary ever actually saw evidence of it, although I was sent to a specialist that documented it. (Just an example that your docs don't necessarily see everything, and while they might believe you and treat you, it's another matter for them to attest to SS about your limitations without proof.)