The majority of people who file a claim for Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receive a medical denial, meaning the Social Security Administration (SSA) has determined their condition (or conditions) are not severe enough to keep them from working at a substantial level. At the Initial Application level approximately 75% of claimants are denied. This rate is even higher at the Request for Reconsideration level where approximately 90% of claimants are denied.
If you have been denied it is important to get your appeal filed within the allotted time frame. The SSA gives the claimant 60 days to file their appeal. The SSA also allows an additional five days to account for the time it took the claimant to receive the decision. If you miss the appeal deadline you may be precluded from receiving benefits in the future.
The SSA now allows people to file their appeals online. This is true if you have been denied on either your Initial Application or Request for Reconsideration. To file the appeal online, you will need to go to the Disability Appeal page on the SSA’s website.
If you choose not to complete your appeal online, you can contact your local SSA office. The address and phone number for your local office will be listed on the decision you received or you can use the Social Security Office Locator on the SSA’s website. The local office will mail you a paper version of the online appeal documents.
Whether you choose to complete the appeal online or with the paper version, you will still need to include the same information. For the appeal, the SSA is concerned with gathering any new information since the last Disability Report was filed. A Disability Report is completed when you file an Initial Application, Request for Reconsideration and Request for Hearing. The report focuses on what illnesses, injuries or conditions a claimant is suffering from and where they are receiving medical treatment. The Disability Report – Appeal also asks if the claimant has had any changes with their conditions and new limitations.
It is important to list on the Disability Report all of your conditions and all of your treating sources. If possible include your doctor’s names and dates of visits. The appeal also asks about current medications and recent medical tests. You will also need to provide information, if applicable, regarding other sources that may have records for you, i.e. public welfare offices, vocational rehabilitation services and attorney’s offices.
