What to Do When Your Disability Benefits Are Denied

Did you know that more than 8.5 million people are currently on disability?

If you’ve recently applied for disability benefits and have been denied, this doesn’t mean that you aren’t disabled. There are many different reasons why you may be denied a disability claim. Research has found that the current denial rate of disability claims is approximately 67%.

After you’ve been denied disability, you’ll have to file an appeal with the Social Security Administration. However, if you’re not sure what steps to take after he’s been denied for disability benefits, we’ve created a complete guide to help you better understand what steps you need to take.

Keep reading to learn more!

Common Reasons People Are Denied Disability

While many people apply for Social Security disability benefits that qualify, not many people are approved the first time they apply for these benefits. Whether you’re somebody, who has already been denied the first time that you’ve applied for disability for your simply looking into how you can prepare yourself, getting an idea of why people are often denied disability can help you to better prepare.

Your Income Is Too High

You won’t qualify to receive disability if your income is noted to be more than the sustainable gainful activity by the Social Security Administration. This amount is earning more than $1,220 per month.

You’ll be approved to receive disability benefits if you aren’t able to work because of your disability. The more hours that you work and the more income that you’re able to bring in, the less likely that you’ll be approved for disability.

You should be aware that the income marked as a sustainable gainful activity by the Social Security Administration doesn’t count on any income you make with investments.

Not Providing Enough Medical Evidence

Another common reason people are denied disability is that they failed to provide a Social Security Administration with sufficient medical evidence. You have to be able to prove that your disability prevents you from being able to provide a type of service in the workforce.

If the physician that you’re seeing doesn’t provide you with medical records that have consistent logs of how your disability or injury has prevented you from being able to work, your chances of being denied are more substantial.

What to Do After You’ve Been Denied

If you’ve recently received a denial letter from the Social Security Administration, you have the ability to file an appeal immediately. Keep in mind that the appeal for this decision has to be filed within 60 days of you receiving the denial letter.

Filing an appeal by yourself can be overwhelming and aggravating, which is why we highly recommended hiring legal representation to help guide you through the process of filing an appeal with the Social Security Administration.

Why You Need to File an Appeal

It’s essential that you file an appeal promptly. This is because if you fail to file an appeal 60 days after you’ve received your denial letter, your appeal will be denied. This will result in you having to start a brand new Social Security disability application.

We highly recommend filing an appeal over starting a new application. This is because filing an appeal will waste less time than filling with a new claim.

After you’ve received your denial, the first step that you should take is figuring out why your case was denied. Hiring an experienced disability lawyer will not only allow you to figure out why your case was denied, but they also help to increase your chances of being approved.

Working with a Modesto disability lawyer will provide you with insight into the denial notice and provide you with information on what you need to include in your appeal to have your claim approved. When your lawyer files a request for reconsideration within the 60 days, they’ll also gain insight into what evidence is needed to support your disability benefits claim.

Your lawyer will help you to gather all of the documentation and evidence that is needed for your claim to be approved.

Denied Again?

If your appeal has been denied, your disability benefits claim will reach the hearing level. When do you qualify for hearing, they will be a judge that listens to your criteria and well determine whether or not you qualify to receive Social Security benefits.

A judge at a disability benefits hearing will ask you questions about your injury or disability. There is often a medical expert that will also be in the courtroom that will look over the details of your injury or disability and provide an expert opinion to the judge.

By working with a disability lawyer, your attorney will help to prepare you for hearing. Some preparation that may occur before the hearing will include getting you ready for the questioning process the judge will put you through. Plus, your attorney will be able to gather any missing pieces of evidence and organize them to do everything they can to ensure that the judge will approve your claim.

Working with an experienced disability lawyer will give you the resources and knowledge of someone who is ready to prepare you for success when it comes time for your disability hearing.

Understanding What to Do When You’re Denied Disability Benefits

By having a solid understanding of what to do after you’ve been denied disability benefits, you can better prepare yourself on how to take action when filing an appeal.

If you or someone you love are unable to work because of an injury or disability, you should work with an experienced and knowledgeable disability claim lawyer before you file your first claim.

To consult with one of our experienced Modesto disability lawyers who are ready to dedicate themselves to your claim, click here to contact us today.