Why do disability claims get denied?

disability claimYou might think that having a documentable disability would mean that you would easily find yourself approved for Social Security disability benefits, but that is not true. About two-thirds of the people who apply for benefits the SSA denies. A State College Social Security Disability Claims Lawyer can help put you in the one-third that gets accepted.

Many reasons exist for the SSA denying your request for SSDI benefits. The reasons range from how many years you have worked which contributes to your shares in the SSA program to how you incurred your disability. Here are the most common reasons:

  • You have not made enough paycheck contributions to your SSA account.
  • You did not complete the application forms correctly.
  • Your income might exceed the allowable amount, or you do not meet the restrictive income requirements.
  • You do not quickly return phone calls or other contacts from the agency. You will have a reviewer contact you regarding the claim with additional questions. If you do not respond, they deny the application if they fail to reach you on several attempts.
  • You moved or changed phone numbers, and they cannot reach you.
  • You do not attend the required third-party medical evaluation.
  • You do not have medical documentation of your condition’s severity.
  • You brought about your disability by abuse of alcohol or drugs. If you did it to yourself, the SSA denies your application.
  • You refuse to follow your doctor’s recommended treatment plan that could either cure the condition or make it manageable.
  • Your injury occurred while you committed a felony crime or were in prison.

SSA only awards disability claims when you can document that your disability would completely prevent you from working. If you could work at a different job than the one you had, they expect you to do so.  You need a disability attorney PA residents can trust to help you understand whether your disability qualifies, or whether you should apply for a different type of assistance.

The administration puts the burden on you to prove the severity of your disability. You must show through formal documentation that your disability precludes you from working at all. You also need to provide proof of how the disability renders you incapable of work. You would need a letter from your doctor explaining how your medical condition precludes you from working and/or detailing your work limitations. Without these documents, the SSA will deny your application for benefits. State College Social Security Disability Lawyers can help you document your medical condition.

Many people confuse disability with worker’s compensation. They are not the same thing. If you break your leg, for example, that qualifies as a short-term disability. The SSA program only provides funds for long-term, or permanent, disability. The disability must last for at least 12 months or result in death.

If you applied before and were denied, this can be a reason you get denied for the re-application. You should instead file an appeal.

Many people do not know what to do when denied Disability the first time. Some choose to file a new application, rather than file an appeal. Under certain circumstances, you should appeal instead of creating a new application. This option lets you add information you did not have at the initial application.

The SSA will deny your application if you fail to comply with its requests. You must complete all the paperwork, sign the medical release forms, attend all the appointments, and attend the consultative exams. It can prove daunting to apply for disability. Obtaining legal assistance can make it much simpler. You can hire a PA disability attorney like Engle Kauffman & VanHorn to help you process your claim and keep it on track. These State College Social Security Disability Attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. They only collect a fee if they win your disability case. The SSA caps those fees, and they come out of the disability award. Contact a State College Social Security Disability Attorney to help you successfully navigate the SSA disability claims process.