Every year, millions of people apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, due to suffering from a disabling medical condition. However, more than half of these applications are ultimately denied for one reason or another, leaving people struggling to figure out how they will cover their bills. But what exactly can you do if your disability application was denied?
Why Might Your Disability Application Be Denied?
There are plenty of reasons that your disability application might be denied, ranging from simple paperwork errors that were not corrected in a timely fashion, to questions about whether your disability is considered severe enough to qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits. Moreover, both SSDI and SSI have their own specific financial requirements that you must meet. In the case of SSDI, you will need a certain number of work credits to qualify, while SSI places strict limits on the amount of income and assets a person can have and still obtain benefits.
What Can You Do If Your Application Was Denied?
If your application has been denied, that does not mean you are permanently barred from obtaining benefits. Instead, you can try to appeal your disability application to have it reconsidered, allowing you to get another opportunity at getting the benefits you deserve. However, there is a time limit for appeals, and waiting too long may cause you to lose your opportunity, forcing you to start the process over from the beginning.
What is Involved in an Appeal?
When you appeal a disability application denial, you bring it before one of several authorities, with each step of the appeal bringing it higher on the chain. This goes as follows:
- Requesting reconsideration: You ask the Social Security Administration to look over your application again, to see if they might have gotten something wrong.
- Request a hearing with a judge: If that fails, you can ask an administrative law judge at the SSA to review your case and make their own decision.
- Seek review from the Appeals Council: If your hearing does not go well, you can ask the Appeals Council at the SSA to review the previous decision.
- File a federal court case: When all else fails, you can bring a lawsuit against the SSA to contest their decision.
What Should You Do?
Ultimately, the question of how you should handle a disability application denial will depend on a number of personal factors. That is why you should speak to a lawyer with experience handling disability applications like yours. They can review your legal options, and help you determine what works best for you. The sooner you call, the sooner they can get to work for you.
If you or a loved one need assistance applying for SSDI or SSI benefits, it is important that you seek the guidance of an experienced Social Security Disability benefits lawyer. The lawyers at Sullivan & Kehoe, LLP have over 50 years of combined experience between its attorneys and are available to you or your loved one in obtaining Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits. To schedule a consultation with our New York Social Security Disability benefits lawyers, call (631) 823-7155.
