AppReady — SSI / SSDI Application Organizer
A guided organizer for a Social Security disability application — SSI (need-based) or SSDI/DAC (on a work record). It links the official current SSA forms, walks the eligibility and medical-evidence checklists, tracks the 60-day appeal clocks, and — the part most tools skip — explains each step in plain language for a parent or applicant figuring it out for the first time. Forms and organization, never advice.
Organize your application
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded; your answers are saved only on this device.
⏰ Track your deadlines
Each Social Security appeal level is 60 days. Enter your dates — it counts down on your device and exports a calendar (.ics) reminder, so your own calendar pings you.
Understand each step (for parents figuring it out)
Explain in depth: SSI vs SSDI vs DAC - which one?
SSDI is insurance on your own work record. SSI is need-based (no work record, but a $2,000 asset limit) and comes with Medicaid. DAC (Disabled Adult Child) is the key path for someone disabled before age 22: they can draw on a PARENT's Social Security record when the parent retires, becomes disabled, or dies - with no work record of their own, no asset limit, and it leads to Medicare. If a young person's disability began before 22 and a parent worked, ask SSA about DAC first.
Explain in depth: What SSA is really deciding
SSA asks: is your condition severe, does it meet or equal a listing in the Blue Book, and if not, does what you can still do rule out your past work and other work given your age and education? A diagnosis alone is never enough - the file has to show how the condition limits function over time.
Explain in depth: Psychiatric and episodic conditions (like bipolar)
For mental conditions, SSA rates four areas - understanding/remembering, interacting with others, concentrating and keeping pace, and adapting/managing yourself - marked in two or extreme in one. Episodic conditions are documentation-heavy: a good week doesn't disprove disability and a bad week doesn't prove it. What wins is a record over time showing the cycling itself makes reliable full-time work impossible.
Explain in depth: The deadlines that quietly end a case
Every denial gives you 60 days to appeal to the next level (reconsideration, then an ALJ hearing, then the Appeals Council, then federal court). Miss it and you usually start over. Use the tracker below and export the reminders to your calendar.
Explain in depth: You don't need money up front for a lawyer
Disability attorneys work on contingency - paid a capped percentage of back pay only if you win - so a good representative is usually obtainable with no money up front. A free WIPA counselor can also help you understand the process.
Frequently asked
Is this legal or benefits advice?
No. It helps you organize and understand the application and links the official SSA forms. For decisions about your case, talk to a free WIPA benefits counselor (1-866-968-7842) or a disability attorney (they work on contingency).
SSI or SSDI — which do I file?
The organizer explains both: SSDI is on a work record; SSI is need-based ($2,000 asset limit); a person disabled before age 22 may draw DAC on a parent's record. When unsure, apply and let SSA sort the pathway, or ask a WIPA counselor.
Does anything I enter get uploaded?
No. Everything stays on your device; the worksheet is generated in your browser.