New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Over the years, there has been an overwhelming increase in the
claims for Social Security Disability. Despite the additional number of claims, the percentage of approved ones remains almost unchanged. This is mainly due to the fact that many are denied at any given step of the process.
While getting your claim approved can prove to be a very lengthy and tiring process, it's not impossible. As explained by Paul Baker Office Law in their post at https://pbakerlaw.com/social-security-lawyers/ssd-appeals/, the key to getting approved is through the help of an attorney who's well-familiar with the process. Despite the high probability of the initial claim to be denied, an experienced attorney will not only improve your odds at the initial claim, but they will also lend you their experience in avoiding all of the common mistakes for the appeals beyond the initial denial.
In the course of getting your claim processed, there are four steps you're likely to go through:
Submitting Your Initial Application
The first step in the process is to fill in and submit your initial application for disability benefits to your Social Security office. Along with the application, you should submit all of the medical evidence you have to support your case. This step can take between 3 to 4 months to be processed, and around 70% of the applications are denied. If your application is denied, you can still file a request for reconsideration.
Filing a Reconsideration Request
In the case of getting your initial request denied, you'll have a timeframe of 2 months to appeal with the SSA, which starts with filing a request for reconsideration. When you file the request, your claim will be reviewed again to check if you qualify for the social security disability benefits. This step can take between 5 to 6 months, and it has an even lesser probability of being approved with an appeal approval average of 15%.
Filing a Hearing Request
If your reconsideration has also been denied, your next option is to file a request for a hearing with the SSA within two months of the denial. This time, an administrative law judge will take a closer look at your claim. The end result of the hearing can be an approval, denial, or having your case sent back for reviewal. This process can take up to two years to finalize, but the silver lining here is that around 63% of the cases are approved in the hearing.
Seeking an Appeals Council's Review
If the judge denied your claim, your last stop with the SSA would be to appeal to the Appeals Council. The chances of getting approved in this step are less than 2%, and it takes from six months to a year to reach a decision.
The process of getting social security disability benefits is long and very uncertain, which makes hiring an experienced attorney quite important in increasing your odds. The process starts with submitting an initial application for the SSA, which, if denied, you can pursue your claim further by appealing to the SSA with a reconsideration request, a hearing request, and a review by the Appeals Council.
