The Appeals Process For Social Security Disability

If you have recently been denied for Social Security Disability, then there is no better time than right now to begin the appeals process.

Once you receive your notice in the mail that you have been denied for benefits, you have to make a request for an appeal in writing before the end of 60 days from the day you received the letter. If your claim for Social Security disability was denied because of medical reasons, you can request an appeal at the Social Security Administration’s website at www.socialsecurity.gov.

During the appeals process, you may go through several areas of appeal. The first is reconsideration, when your claim is completely reviewed. You do not need to be present for this process. If you disagree with the reconsideration decision, you can request a hearing by an administrative law judge. This is when you may be asked to gather more information for your case. It is usually best to have someone such as a lawyer or an advocate represent you at a hearing since they have experience working with Social Security claims.

If you disagree with the decision made during your hearing, the next step is a review by the Appeals Council. The council will examine the request to determine if the decision made at the hearing was right. The council will either decide your case or send it back to the administrative law judge. If you then do not agree with the council’s decision, you can file a lawsuit in federal court. Or work with an advocate who can assist you.

Tags: Appealing a Claim, Appeals Process, Applying for Benefits

This article was posted on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010