The Social Security Administration (SSA) claims that SSDI applicants have up to 4 opportunities to appeal their decision. Hopefully, you may not have to go through all 4 stages to appeal until you get SSA’s approval for Disability Insurance.
The first step would be to start with a reconsideration decision. Ask the Agency to reconsider the decision they made. However, you may want to appeal four times if you disagree with the denial decision. What comes after the request for reconsideration of my SSDI payments?
Hearing with a judge to appeal an SSDI decision
Sometimes you do not get approval after the request to reconsider a decision. Hence, you will have to request, for a second time, reconsideration. Nevertheless, it will be an administrative law judge the one in charge of this hearing.
Do not forget that once you get a reconsideration decision, there is a deadline to move on to the next step. Submit a request for a disability hearing within sixty days after SSA’s decision.
For your information, the hearing could be by phone, online, or in person. What if you get denial again? After another denial, you could request a review of hearing decision. In this case, it will be the Appeals Council the one in charge of the approval or denial decision. As you can see, getting SSDI may be a long process.
If you don’t get SSDI approval, file a Federal District Court Action
Finally, there is one last chance to appeal if you have not gotten approval yet. The Social Security Administration allows SSDI applicants to file a Federal District Court Action.
Once more, you will have only 60 days to file it if you do not agree with the decision the Appeal Council made. SSA recommends using certified or registered mail to submit copies of the complaint and court summons to the Social Security General Council office in your area.
No doubt, if you have a disability that prevents you from working for over a year, you will have to get ready to go through the whole process. Make sure you have as many medical records and certificates as possible to get your SSDI payments faster.
