If you are considering applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits the expertise of a Social Security Disability Attorney can help. A Social Security Disability Attorney can increase your chances of receiving Social Security Disability benefits at each stage of the Social Security Disability application and appeals process. The Social Security Disability Attorney will not complete the Social Security Disability application process but if you have retained a Social Security Disability Attorney this may increase your chances of receiving Social Security Disability benefits even at the application level. If you are denied Social Security Disability Benefits a Social Security Disability Attorney will complete the following tasks for you:

• The Social Security Attorney will review all of your medical information and your initial Social Security Disability application to make sure it included all relevant information.
• The Social Security Attorney will complete the first step of the Social Security Disability appeal’s process. In most states this is the Reconsideration phase. The Reconsideration paperwork must be submitted to the Social Security Administration with in sixty days of the Social Security Disability denial letter. There are ten states which do not have the Reconsideration phase and the first step in the Social Security Disability appeals process will be a Judicial hearing with an Administrative Law Judge.
• The Social Security Disability Attorney will present your Social Security Disability Case before the Administrative Law Judge. This will include gathering all of your medical information and developing a persuasive case, meeting with you prior to the Judicial hearing and arguing your Social Security Disability case before the Administrative Law Judge.
• The Social Security Disability Attorney can help appeal your Social Security Disability case to the Advisory Council if the Administrative Judge does not approve your Social Security Disability claim.

If you have applied and been denied Social Security Disability benefits you can get help. Unfortunately, most Social Security Disability applications are denied at the initial phases of the Social Security Disability process. Do not get discouraged even if you have been denied at the initial level and the reconsideration level, with a competent Social Security Disability Attorney arguing your Social Security Disability case at the Judicial Hearing level you have a strong chance that your Social Security Disability benefits will be approved. Call today or fill out the FREE evaluation form to discuss your Social Security Disability case with a qualified Social Security Disability Attorney.

Each year thousands of Social Security Disability applicants are forced to wait months and sometimes even years to receive Social Security Disability benefits. There are several reasons why it takes so long for the Social Security Administration to process Social Security disability claims, but in general a Social Security Disability application can take up to 100 days at the initial examination level to process.

If you are denied Social Security Disability benefits at the application level and enter into the reconsideration phase (the first level of the Social Security Disability appeals process in most states) it can take an additional 30-60 days.

If you are denied at the reconsideration level and you must attend a Social Security Disability hearing you may have to wait one to two years in certain parts of the country for your Social Security Disability hearing to be scheduled.

Here are some of the reasons it takes so long to get your disability benefits from the Social Security Administration:

1. The Social Security Administration must seriously consider each Social Security Disability application and they must be fair to each claimant. This means that Social Security Disability examiners within the Social Security Administration must gather and process medical records for listed medical conditions. They must also examine and review Social Security Disability applications from claimants that may in fact have a dubious Social Security Disability claim. Examining each Social Security Disability application is a good idea, but unfortunately other more severe Social Security Disability cases will take longer to process.

2. The Social Security Administration is understaffed and the case load for each examiner and Administrative Judge is very high. In the last few years various legislative actions have been taken to improve the employment staffing situation within the Social Security Administration.

3. The Social Security Disability application process has very specific steps which must be completed to get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The first step is filing your Social Security Disability application. Your application will be sent to a medical examiner who gathers the medical records and reviews them. If your medical information is insufficient, additional medical exams may be required to make an accurate medical determination. Other individuals may also have to provide information on your daily activities. The disability examiner will than either consult with other medical personnel with in the disability agency to make a disability medical determination or in some cases make the decision themselves.

4. The Social Security Disability appeals process can be very long and the wait time to receive an administrative court hearing date in some parts of the process can take from 1 to 2 years. Many Social Security Disability claimants ask if their Social Security Disability claims can be expedited. There are very few emergency situations that will allow for an expedited administrative hearing.

It is important to discuss any emergency situations with your Social Security Disability attorney. They may be able to file a ‘dire need letter’ to the hearing office where your Social Security Disability claim is going to be scheduled.

Many claimants ask when they can expect to receive their benefits and unfortunately, there is not a clear answer for each Social Security Disability applicant. Some individuals who file for SSI or SSDI have very severe physical or mental conditions that will be approved at the initial Social Security Disability application level and they may receive their benefits quickly. Other Social Security Disability applicants will have to go through many phases of the Social Security Application appeals process and they may have to wait months or sometimes even years to receive their benefits.

The good news is that many Social Security Disability claims that are denied at the application and reconsideration appeals level do end up approved after a Administrative Judge reviews them at the Social Security Disability hearing. If your Social Security Disability claim is at the judicial hearing level, it may be a good idea to consult a Social Security Disability attorney who can review your claim and help prepare your case prior to the hearing.

If you have been denied Social Security Disability benefits or have questions about a Social Security Disability claim, contact a Social Security Disability lawyer who can answer your questions and review your Social Security Disability claim.