Is it Hard to Get Social Security Disability? (Appeals)

As I stated in my previous post, it can often be difficult to receive Social Security Disability benefits on an initial application. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much easier on appeal.

If you are denied on your initial application, your first appeal is a request for reconsideration. This step is pretty simple (usually just updating any changes since your original application) and because of this, an extremely low percentage of people are approved at this stage. In my experience, it is usually two to three months to receive a decision on reconsideration.

After being denied on reconsideration, the next step is to file a request for hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. The good news is that statistically your best odds of approval are at the hearing level. The bad news is that the current wait time to get a hearing is over a year from the time you file the request. This is a daunting thought for someone who is incapable of working. At the hearing level, an attorney can be very helpful to your claim in many different ways.

So the bottom line is that yes, it can be very hard to get Social Security Disability. Some people have no problems receiving benefits, but the vast majority struggle with the process. If you would like help from a Disability attorney, feel free to give me a call at any time.