Editorial Standards & Methodology
DisabilityFiled exists to make the Social Security disability application process easier to understand and organize. People often find us during one of the hardest stretches of their lives, so we hold our content to a clear standard for sourcing, accuracy, and honesty. This page explains exactly how we work.
Last reviewed August 13, 2026. We review this policy at least twice a year.
Our commitment in one sentence
We organize and explain the Social Security Administration's publicly published rules and forms accurately, point you to the official source behind each statement, and never invent a rule, a statistic, a timeline, a credential, or a person.
Where our information comes from
Social Security disability is governed by one federal agency, so the Social Security Administration is our primary source. When we describe a rule or a form, we work from the material that actually governs it:
- SSA.gov program pages and official SSA publications covering SSDI and SSI eligibility, applications, and appeals.
- The official SSA forms themselves and their instructions, including the SSA-16 application, the SSA-3368 Adult Disability Report, the SSA-3369 Work History Report, and the SSA-827 authorization.
- SSA's published Listing of Impairments, often called the Blue Book, and the disability evaluation criteria SSA publishes with it.
- The federal disability regulations in Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations and SSA's publicly available operations manual, known as POMS.
Where a claim depends on an outside source, we favor official ssa.gov and other .gov pages so you can read the rule at its source and confirm it yourself.
How we handle numbers that change
Figures like the substantial gainful activity threshold, benefit formulas, and cost-of-living adjustments change every year, and processing times vary by state and office. Rather than print a number that will quietly go stale, we tie dated figures to the year SSA published them and point you to the SSA page where the current value lives. Where we cannot verify a figure from an official source, we say so and give you the exact question to ask SSA instead of a guess dressed up as a fact.
Who writes and reviews our content
Our articles and tools are researched, written, and edited by the DisabilityFiled Editorial Team, a group of writers and researchers who focus on how the Social Security disability process works on paper. Every article carries this team byline and a published or updated date.
We are deliberate about what we are not. We are not attorneys, claimant representatives, SSA employees, or medical professionals, and we do not publish content under invented expert names, fabricated credentials, or a made-up review board. When a decision calls for legal or medical judgment, we say so and point you to a qualified disability attorney or representative, your doctors, or SSA itself instead of pretending to be one.
How we keep content current
Each article shows when it was published and, when applicable, when it was last updated. We revisit content on a rolling basis and when we learn that SSA has changed a rule, a form, or a figure. SSA procedures still move faster than any publisher can track perfectly, so a date on this site tells you when we last reviewed a page, not that nothing has changed since. Always confirm current rules with SSA before you act.
Corrections and feedback
If you spot something that looks out of date or wrong, tell us and we will check it against the source and fix it promptly. Accurate content is more valuable to us than being right the first time, and reader corrections make this resource better for the next applicant.
Email corrections to team@disabilityfiled.com with the page URL and what you believe should change.
What we will never publish
- Invented facts, made-up statistics, or citations to sources that do not say what we claim.
- Predictions or promises about your approval chances, your timeline, or your benefit amount. Every one of those outcomes belongs to SSA, and we do not estimate odds for anyone.
- Medical advice, or any suggestion about how to describe your condition other than truthfully and completely.
- Content that suggests we file with SSA, speak to SSA, or act as your representative in any way.
- Fabricated applicant testimonials, success stories, reviews, or ratings.
Independence and how we pay for this
DisabilityFiled is an independent information publisher and document preparation service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Social Security Administration or any government agency, and we do not accept payment from anyone in exchange for coverage. Our free screener, guides, and intake are supported by our paid $49 Complete Packet, which organizes your own answers into a printable packet you can use while completing your own SSA application. Buying it is never required to read our free content, and a purchase never changes anything SSA requires or decides.
Related
Read more about who we are on our About page, review our full disclaimer, or browse our 1666 published articles.
Disclaimer: DisabilityFiled is a document preparation and organization service, not a law firm, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration. We do not provide legal advice, represent you before the SSA, or guarantee any outcome. We help you organize your own information for your own application. Consult a qualified disability attorney for legal representation.