If you applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in 2011, you may be among the more than 630,000 people whose claims were rejected. If you apply for benefits and your claim is denied, an experienced Social Security disability attorney can help. Appeals are frequently more successful than initial applications.
According to the 2012 Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Programpublished by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the top reasons for benefit denials were:
- Disability was not severe enough (24.5 percent of claims denied)
- Claimant was able to do past work (22.7 percent)
- Claimant was able to do other work (32.4 percent)
- Failure to pursue the claim or to provide sufficient evidence (15.5 percent)
- Impairment is not expected to last twelve months (5 percent)
Qualifying to receive SSDI benefits is often difficult and always complicated, so it’s important to talk with a good Social Security disability lawyer to better understand how you might qualify for benefits. Your disability must be serious enough to that you are unable to work for 12 months or longer, or the condition must be terminal. Almost a quarter of all claims are denied because a Social Security disability examiner believes a claimant’s disability is not severe enough to keep the claimant from working.
Documentation and records are extremely important to the success of your claim. SSA not only evaluates applicants’ medical conditions and records but also their work history and the types of jobs they’ve worked in the past. The application process can be tricky because of the many documents that are required, the amount of detail involved, and the complex SSA rules. An experienced Social Security disability attorney can help you determine if you’re eligible for benefits before you apply and can help you with the paperwork and procedures. If you’ve been denied once, a good disability lawyer can help you file an appeal. If you believe that you qualify for SSDI benefits, speak with an experienced Social Security disability attorney right away.