Anyone who has been involved in the Social Security Disability application process understands that when a claim for benefits is denied, the applicant must join a significant backlog of Social Security Disability appeals. What many of the newest applicants do not realize is that appeals reached an all-time high in 2011, which means that there are even more backlogged claims in the Social Security system. Why did this happen and how will this fact affect future Social Security Disability applicants?
In 2011 the Social Security Administration received approximately 3.4 million claims for Social Security Disability benefits. As usual, two-thirds of those applications were denied during the initial stage of the claim process. Of those denied disability claims, more than 850,000 applicants decided to appeal the denial to the hearing stage of the appeals process. This means that another 850,000+ appeals are now backlogged in the SSA’s system.
Why were so many Social Security Disability claims denied in 2011? One of the reasons is the increasing number in Social Security Disability applications. The more applications the SSA receives, the more claims there are that are likely to be denied. When you combine the increased number of applications with the fact that many appeals are necessary due to mistakes made during the initial claim process (mistakes that could be avoided with the help of a Social Security Disability attorney) it is not hard to see why so many claims were denied in 2011. The question is, what can be done to avoid a denied claim and what happens to the claims that have already been denied?
If you submit a claim for benefits to the Social Security Administration, it is highly advisable that you retain the services of a qualified Social Security Disability attorney to help you through the claim process. Your attorney will ensure that your claim is filled out properly and that you have enough medical evidence to validate the necessity of your claim. This will increase your chances of being awarded benefits without the need for an appeal.
If your application for benefits has already been denied, it is crucial that you obtain the services of a Social Security Disability lawyer as soon as possible. Your chances of successfully overturning the SSA’s decision to deny disability benefits are significantly increased with proper legal representation. Since the backlog of appeals and applicants waiting for hearings is even longer now, chances are that the wait times for a disability hearing will be longer as well. You do not want to wait two years or more to obtain a hearing and then fail to succeed in your efforts due to a lack of proper legal representation.
The good news is that disability attorneys work on a contingency basis, only collecting 25-percent of the back pay that you are awarded by the Social Security Administration (up to a limit of $6,000). If you do not win your case, your attorney does not get paid.
