My name is Michelle Mathison and I have been a case manager at Greeman Toomey for the past 18 months. During this time I have assisted hundreds of clients with their Social Security Disability claims. I wanted to go through the typical application process and timeline our clients can expect.
The first step for SSA disability claims is to file the Initial Application. I speak with our clients regarding their medical conditions, medical treatment and work history. The application process takes approximately three to six months. These initial applications have a denial rate of approximately 75%.
Due to high denial rate of the initial application, the majority of our clients will need to file a Request for Reconsideration. The Request for Reconsideration is the appeal of the denial and updates SSA with any changes in the client’s medical conditions and treatment. The appeal needs to be submitted within 60 days of the date of the denial. At the reconsideration level you can expect a decision in approximately three to six months. Unfortunately the Request for Reconsideration also has a very high denial rate. At this level the rate of denial is approximately 90%.
If you have been denied twice you will need to file a Request for Hearing by Administrative Law Judge. Again this request needs to be submitted within 60 days of the date of the denial. The wait for the hearing is about 12-15 months. At the hearing you will be represented by one of the attorneys at our office. Our attorneys have a success rate of approximately 80%. During the wait it is very important that client’s continue to keep our office updated of any changes with their medical conditions or medical treatment. We want to make sure the at the time of the hearing we have all the necessary and relevant medical records.
It can be very discouraging to our clients to receive the multiple denials. It is important to keep in mind that most of our client’s claims progress to the hearing level. Even if our client receives a denial we continue to represent them throughout these levels of their claim. If you receive a denial please contact our office right away to pursue the next step of your claim.
