It can be a devastating and heartbreaking experience to receive a notice that the government denied your claim for much-needed Social Security Disability benefits. However, this is a common experience for many disabled Americans.
If you’ve been denied benefits, it’s important to determine exactly why, then get organized to appeal the decision and try to satisfy any deficiencies related to your claim.
Reasons for denied Social Security Disability claims
Here are a few of the most common reasons for a Social Security Disability denial:
— You are earning over $940 per month. It doesn’t matter what kind of disease, condition or medical problem you’re suffering from, if you earn too much money, the Social Security Administration will automatically deny your claim for benefits.
— Your disability or medical condition is not going to last over 12 months or it will not end in death.
— You failed to follow your doctor’s treatment protocol and your failure to follow the protocol was not because of (1) economic difficulty, (2) religious conflicts, (3) a mental illness, (4) ineffective treatments.
— You didn’t answer the Social Security Administration’s request for medical records and information.
— You relocated and the Social Security Administration was unable to find you.
There are other specific reasons for a denial of benefits. No matter why your claim was denied, however, it’s important to remember that numerous Americans have suffered from a denial of benefits and later succeeded in obtaining the benefits they have a right to receive. Sometimes it’s only a matter of requesting reconsideration, getting a clearer diagnosis from a medical expert or submitting additional required information. Other times, it may be necessary to file a lawsuit to get the benefits you deserve.
Appeal your SSA decision immediately
For potential disability recipients who plan to appeal their SSA decision, it’s vital to appeal the decision as soon as possible because strict time limitations of 60 days will apply to the ability to appeal. Failure to appeal within this timeframe will result in the need to restart the Social Security Disability application process from scratch, which will result in tremendous and unnecessary delay.
