If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you should know that Social Security disability benefits may be available to help ease some of the financial strain you may be experiencing.

You should also know that the average approval rate for Social Security disability claims is only 25% - 30%. Those sure don’t seem like very encouraging numbers.

Particularly since bipolar disorder is such a serious mental illness that, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, affects close to 5.7 million people yearly in the United States alone.

Avoid the #1 Reason Others Fall Into theDeniedCategory

The number one reason so many disability claims are denied is actually very simple and completely avoidable.

It’s basically because most claims don’t have all the critical or even the correct pieces of information necessary to complete the application right from the get go – especially the precise medical information.

13 Pieces of Information Crucial to Your Bipolar Disorder Disability Claim

In order to avoid making the same mistake nearly 70% of those applying for Social Security benefits do, here’s a list of 13 of the most crucial pieces of information you should have at your disposal for your first application interview:

1. Complete names, addresses, and phone numbers of all your doctors, hospitals you may have been admitted to, or medical clinics

2. Dates you were seen at any of those facilities, and all your patient I.D. numbers

3. Names of any medications you’re taking

4. Any medical records you personally possess

5. An original or certified copy of your birth certificate

6. If you were born outside the U.S, you’ll need proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency

7. If you were in the military, your original or certified copy of your discharge papers

8. Your W-2 forms or your federal income tax return

9. Any workers’ compensation information such as date of injury, claim number, and proof of payments

10. The social security numbers of your spouse and your minor children

11. Your bank information such as checking and savings account numbers

12. A list of all the jobs you’ve had in the past 15 years before you got sick

13. The name of a contact person in case you can’t be reached

That might seem like an overwhelming amount of information to gather just to get your Social Security disability claim started. But miss any part of the 13 items listed above and you’re definitely looking at an immediately denied claim.

Why take that risk when just a little effort on your part, or perhaps with the help of a family member or friend, you could begin a winning claim for the bipolar disability benefits you deserve.

Albeit probably the single most important step involved in the process of filing a claim with the Social Security office for your bipolar disability, it certainly isn’t the only step.

Valuable on-line resources are readily available to help you complete the process of filing a winning bipolar disorder disability claim.

For a simple, step-by-step toolkit and guide that takes you from filing your initial disability claim to receiving your first benefit check, you'll want to explore the all the information on this website: