Oklahoma City residents who apply for Social Security disability benefits want to have their applications approved the first time they are received by the Social Security Administration so that they experience no delays in the payment of the support they need. However, not all requests for benefits are approved on first pass and many go through an extensive review process before they are granted. This post will offer an overview of the review steps a claim may go through if it is denied upon its initial consideration.
First, if an applicant’s application is denied then that applicant has sixty days to request that their application be given a reconsideration review. A reconsideration review is undertaken by a Social Security Administration employee who was not involved in the application’s initial consideration. If the reconsideration reviewer sides with the applicant then the application will be approved and benefits will be paid. If the reviewer agrees that the application should be denied then the applicant’s next step is to request a hearing before an administrative law judge.
A hearing before an administrative law judge is more formal than the reconsideration review and applicants generally attend these proceedings. During the proceedings the administrative law judge will review the matter and like the level before, will approve or deny the application. If the application is denied the applicant may appeal their matter to the Social Security Administration Appeals Council.
It can take months for a person’s case to move through these steps and this is not even the end of the possible process; an appeal from the Appeals Council involves filing a claim in the federal court system. Individuals who are caught up in the disability benefits’ appeals process can benefit from discussing their cases with attorneys who are familiar with these difficult reviews.