Appealing a Denied SSDI Claim
After waiting months for a decision on your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim, you finally receive a letter informing you that your claim was denied. While this certainly is not the ideal scenario, it is quite common for SSDI claims to initially be denied, or for benefits to be terminated. Fortunately, you have options. You can file an appeal with the Social Security Administration if you disagree with their decision regarding your claim. You can appeal any aspect of their decision, including:
An outright denial of your claim
A premature termination of your SSDI benefits
A discrepancy over the appropriate amount of benefits to be paid
Your Appeal is Time Sensitive
There are important deadlines that you must be aware of when appealing a denied SSDI claim. You must file your appeal in writing within 60 days of receiving the Social Security Administration’s letter explaining their decision on your claim.
Failure to file before this deadline may prevent you from receiving the important benefits you need to support your family while you are disabled.
You can contact your Social Security office directly to receive the documents necessary for your appeal. You can also request an appeal directly on the Social Security Administration’s website.
The Importance of Hiring an Attorney
While it is not required that you have legal representation to file your SSDI claim appeal, it is in your best interest to work with an experienced SSDI attorney during this process.
Appealing a denied SSDI claim is very complicated, and you will greatly increase your chances of success by hiring a lawyer. In fact, statistics reveal that the percentage of claims awarded on appeal is substantially higher for individuals who are represented by an attorney.
Your appeal must convince the Social Security Administration that they have made an error on their initial decision regarding your claim. In order to do this, you must be able to present compelling medical evidence that your condition does in fact qualify as a severe disability. An experienced attorney will be familiar with the criteria the SSA uses to determine whether you are disabled. This will be very beneficial when presenting evidence on your behalf.
A Lengthy Process
Unfortunately, the appeals process can be quite long, taking anywhere from several months to several years to complete. For this reason, it is even more important that you work with an attorney who specializes in handling SSDI claims. There are four stages to the appeals process. In other words, you have four opportunities to appeal the SSA’s decision to a higher authority before you are out of options. However, the more rounds of appeals you must go through, the longer it will take for you to receive the benefits you need. As a result, it is in your best interest to work with an attorney who can provide you with the greatest chance of having your initial appeal approved.