We Can Guide You Through the Complex SSD Appeal Process
If you have applied for Social Security disability benefits and been denied, you should not be discouraged. The truth is, between 65 and 70 percent of first-time SSD applications are initially denied. These denials usually say more about the clarity of certain statements or the sufficiency of paperwork in the initial application than they do about an applicant’s underlying condition. How can you turn that denial around? When you consult John V. Tucker and his team of attorneys at Tucker Disability Law, you get reliable advice and determined advocacy for your appeal. We have focused knowledge from more than 40 years of combined experience helping SSD applicants overcome denials and obtain the benefits they need and deserve.
Understanding the Social Security Disability Claim Denial Appeal Process
You have the right to appeal your SSD denial, but the process is complex and the deadlines come quickly. Managing your own appeal is a lot to ask, especially if you’re unclear about why your claim was denied in the first place. Our SSD lawyers can review your application, spot insufficiencies, and recommend decisive steps to improve your chances of acceptance. We have experience at every stage of the appeal process:
- Request for reconsideration — The first step is a reconsideration, where a different SSD evaluator examines your claim. Our team helps you cure any deficiencies in the application before you resubmit.
- Administrative law judge hearing — If the reconsideration does not produce an acceptance, your claim proceeds to a hearing before an administrative law judge. Here you can submit evidence, such as testimony by medical experts who support your claim. The Social Security Administration can also call witnesses, submit evidence and cross-examine your witnesses in support of its denial of your claim.
- Appeals Council review — If you receive an adverse hearing decision, you can ask for a review by the Social Security Appeals Council. This board is not obligated to grant you a review. However if the Appeals Council hears your case, it can approve or deny your claim, or order an administrative law judge to hold another hearing with instructions to consider matters that may have been overlooked earlier.
- Federal court review — If all else fails, you can petition the federal court in your district to review your disability case. This stage of the appeal proceeds like a civil lawsuit in federal court.
At each stage of the appeals process, the scrutiny of your claim increases and more is required of you to overcome the denial. This means gathering additional supportive evidence and building a compelling case within a very tight time frame. For example, you must submit your request for reconsideration in writing within 60 days of receiving your denial letter. This doesn’t give a lay person much time to learn all they need to win disability benefits, but it is enough time for your experienced attorneys to build a strong case on your behalf.
Contact Our Disability Lawyers for Help With Your SSD Appeal
If you’ve been denied Social Security disability benefits, John V. Tucker and his experienced legal team at Tucker Disability Law can help. We serve clients who have cases that will be heard in the Tampa and St. Petersburg hearing offices – that includes Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Pasco counties. To schedule a free consultation with a knowledgeable and concerned SSD attorney, call us at (866) 282-5260 or contact our office online.
