SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY SELF HELP
FOR FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS

Request for Reconsideration

Your Request for Reconsideration of your initial denial places your file in the cycle to undergo the exact process you've just been through in the application process. You can expect the same outcome. The only difference is that a different claims examiner is assigned to review your benefit application. Almost all reconsiderations are denied.

Don't loose hope. Keep your claim appealed.

Timeframe for Reconsideration Request: 3-6 months

Request for Administrative Hearing

Things to know:

• No hearing request is available until you have twice been denied benefits
• Most people win their appeal at this level

Obtaining a hearing before an Administrative Judge is the longest segment of this process. It takes between twelve (12) and eighteen (18) months to acquire a hearing date from the time your formal request for hearing is made. Your request to have an Administrative Law Judge review your case cannot take place until your claim for benefits has been denied twice.

The vast majority of claimants will acquire Social Security disability benefits at this juncture. Unlike claims examiners, the Administrative Law Judge has the ability to look at each issue collectively instead of individually, as claims examiners are required to do. Because the Administrative Law Judge has the ability to look at your situation from a holistic perspective, he can take into account how the symphony of issues you may have affect your life. The Administrative Law Judge has a much greater level of discretion than do the claims examiners in the first and second phases of the process.

Timeframe for Administrative Hearing Request: 12-18 months

In the event your claim for disability benefits is denied at this juncture, the next step is an application for appeal to the Social Security Disability Appeals Council in Falls Church, Virginia. The review by the Appeals Council is a true appellate review, looking for specific judicial error(s) by the Administrative Law Judge.  In the event of denial at the Appeals Council level, the last resort is the filing of a civil lawsuit in Federal District Court. Appeals to the Federal Court are overwhelmingly denied due to the high legal standard of review.

We care tremendously about the experience you have battling for your Social Security Disability benefits. Once your application process is complete and you have received your initial denial, we can help you.  We can remove the stress and worry from the process and guide you through what remains as expeditiously and efficiently as possible.