Aurora SSDI Appeals
Obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits may be crucial to your immediate ability to support yourself and your family. Whenever an illness or injury leaves you unable to work, you may have the right to collect these benefits.
Unfortunately, obtaining these benefits can be a long and tiresome process, and it is the rare applicant who files a successful initial application. Instead, it may be necessary for you to file multiple Aurora SSDI appeals.
A qualified Social Security attorney could help guide you through this entire process. They could work to gather the necessary information for an appeal, evaluate the stated reasons for your denial, and help you to obtain the benefits that you deserve.
Why an Appeal May be Necessary
The Social Security Administration (SSA) denies a vast majority of SSDI applications because of the stringent medical requirements to qualify under the legal definition of “disabled.” According to the SSA, a person is disabled if a condition prevents them from working full-time, is likely to result in death, or has already lasted more than one year.
Whether a condition is likely to result in death is often a matter of comparing an applicant’s state to an established list. However, even severe conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, or partial paralysis may not fit these definitions. As a result, applicants must often argue that their condition prevents them from working and has lasted more than one year.
This requires an employee at the SSA to make a judgment call, which rarely results in a favorable decision. Applicants in Aurora often must quickly appeal this SSDI denial to preserve their case and to move forward in their claim.
How to Pursue an Appeal
Applicants have 60 days from their receipt of the denial letter to make the formal request. Aurora SSDI appeals can be done online through a form which requires much of the same information as the initial application. Claimants should continue with all medical treatment during the appeals process.
An initial appeal is just the first of many that a case may require. If the SSA also rejects this appeal, a claimant may request a judges’ hearing. Once again, this may be done online, but either way, the request must be sent to the SSA no more than 60 days from the receipt of the second denial.
A judge’s hearing is likely a person’s best chance to receive benefits. However, even if a judge denies a claim, individuals may still have legal options. If the judge in the case makes a mistake of law or refuses to accept medical evidence that may help a case, an applicant can file an appeal with the Appeals Council.
While an Appeals Council would not consider a case in person, they may order the original judge to reopen the case. An attorney could help guide an individual through the SSDI appeals process, and more basic information can be found on the Social Security Administration’s website.
An SSDI Appeal Is Often Required to Obtain Benefits in Aurora
While it may seem like SSDI benefits are a foregone conclusion after becoming unable to work, the simple truth is that many applicants face denials. Whether this is because of incomplete medical records, a lack of work experience, or a combination of both, you have the right to pursue an appeal.
Aurora SSDI appeals could help to move your case forward. Knowledgeable lawyers could help you examine the reason for your denial, to evaluate how long you have to file an appeal, and to gather the necessary evidence to give that appeal a greater chance for success.
If a judge’s hearing has failed to bring success, an attorney could also help to examine an appeal at the federal level. Call today to learn more about your options.
