If you’ve ever applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI also known as SSD) or Supplemental Security Income, then you know just how daunting the task can be. You have to contact every doctor who might have valuable records you can use as evidence to prove your disability (mental or physical) during the case. There’s also an endless amount of tedious forms to fill out and send, with lengthy response times at every turn. Not to mention the numerous government buildings you will have to frequent throughout the process. Online applications are available to circumvent some of the hassle, but this method also has its flaws. Somewhere throughout this whole ordeal you inevitably begin to realize it might be this way on purpose to dissuade people from applying, and time is being used as a powerful deterrent. Luckily for us there are many Social Security disability law firms near Bakersfield which specialize in playing (and winning) this twisted game.
There are several levels of the Social Security disability process which you’ll have to fight through. There’s the initial level, the reconsideration level, the hearing level, the appeals council level and the federal court level. The initial level is where an examiner from the SSA will look over all of the information you’ve been providing them(your work history and earnings, your current medical records, the medical examination done by a third party you probably had to go to, your previous benefit payouts, and so on) and then they’ll make a decision. Most likely, to your dismay, you’ll get a rejection letter in the mail many weeks later and this is where most people accept their ruling by throwing in the towel. This is a mistake.
The denial rate of the first application is an astounding 60-70%. So even with all of the information you’ve struggled to procure throughout the many different aspects of your care, it didn’t matter. Unless you are terminally ill or obviously severely disabled the chances of being approved on the first application are definitely not in your favor. This is most likely another deterrent designed to weed out as many people as possible. Once denied you have 60 days to send an appeal, which just means a different examiner is going to look over your case and deny you again (the reconsideration level). Keep in mind these processes are usually through the mail and will take several weeks.
You can appeal again by requesting a hearing with an administrative law judge employed by the SSA (the hearing level). At this level, the acceptance rate finally tips into a favorable ratio. This is the best opportunity you’ll have to be approved for benefits and having a Social Security disability law firm represent you would be ideal as they have plenty of experience in this specific field to utilize. If they’re a firm which doesn’t get paid unless they win, like Pena & Bromberg, then they’ll have proven strategies prepared to maximize results.
