Ever since the introduction of Social Security in 1935, millions of Americans have received much needed retirement income as well as benefits in the event they suffer a physical or mental disability. It has never been much trouble to get retirement benefits but the same cannot be said for disability benefits, the way it is now about three out of every four applicants are denied benefits. Although the majority of claimants apply without any assistance, when they are denied benefits that they know they deserve, most will turn to a Social Security lawyer in Detroit and appeal the decision.
The stages of appeal:
If your application was denied, don’t think you are alone and don’t think that you have no recourse. The system is designed to allow for appeals, right up to federal court if necessary although rarely does it go that far.
The first stage of the appeals process is to ask that the initial decision be reconsidered. Although denials are overturned at this stage, there are very few of them. The majority of those applicants that have been denied most often find that they are finally granted benefits when they appeal their case in person to an Administrative Law Judge.
An ALJ is an attorney that works for Social Security; their work is primarily focused on either overturning the decision to deny benefits or to uphold the decision. Although a typical applicant or benefits will not get to this stage for as much as a year, it is worth waiting for as at least two thirds of claims that reach them are approved.
For those that do not win at the hearing stage they can request that their case be reviewed by the Appeals Council. The Appeals Council does not focus on your disability as much as they focus on technical matters such as a flaw in previous decisions.
The entire process is complicated. A Social Security lawyer in Detroit can make the difference between winning and losing much needed benefits.
If you are about to apply for disability benefits you shoed consider hiring a seasoned Social Security lawyer in Detroit to help you through the process. Thurswell Law Firm specializes in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). For more information visit website.
