If you live in Nevada and suffer from a disabling medical condition, you might qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The key to receiving financial assistance is filing a disability claim in Nevada that includes convincing medical evidence.
A team of medical examiners from the Social Security Administration (SSA) want to see evidence that you suffer from a debilitating illness or injury, as well as employer verification that you can no longer work at your current job. A Social Security attorney can help you file a claim for disability benefits in Nevada.
Filing for Social Security Disability Benefits in Nevada
The SSA makes disability benefits available to qualified workers in each of the 50 states. If you want to file a claim, you should contact the nearest Social Security field office.
Nevada has four SSA field offices located in the following cities:
- Reno
- Henderson
- Las Vegas
- North Las Vegas
As of May 2021, some SSA field offices have reopened after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to file a claim in person at one of the SSA field offices in Nevada, you should call 800-772-1213 to ensure an office located near you is open for business. The same toll-free number is also an option for filing a disability benefits claim.
Nevada Disability Statistics
The average processing time for a claim in Nevada is 449 days, which is 41 fewer days than the national average. Thirty-nine percent of disability claims receive approval by a team of medical examiners from the SSA.
Forty-three percent of claims get denied and the remaining 18 percent of claims are outright dismissed by the SSA. If your claim for Social Security disability is denied by the SSA, you can file an appeal that can take on average nearly 14 months to resolve.
The backlog of SSA disability claims varies among the four field offices depending on the volume handled by each office. Las Vegas is often the field office that experiences the highest volume of disability benefits claims in Nevada.
How to Deal with Denied Disability in Nevada
With the SSA denying more disability claims than the agency approves, part of filing a disability claim can be to prepare for the appeals process. The first step in the Nevada disability benefits appeal process is called reconsideration. You go through the same filing process that you went through the first time around.
A team of medical examiners reviews your appeal for reconsideration before issuing a decision. Any claimant that files an appeal for reconsideration must submit more persuasive evidence.
If the SSA denies your appeal for reconsideration, then you have the right to ask for an appeal hearing that is held in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at an Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).
Nevada has two locations where an ALJ conducts an appeal hearing. An ALJ hearing allows you to present your claim in front of an impartial judge, which means working with a Social Security is an especially good idea if your claim reaches this stage of the appeals process. Your lawyer presents evidence, as well as interviews witnesses that provide support for your claim.
Time is critical when filing an appeal, as you have just 60 days to get everything in order before you file an appeal. The 60-day clock starts ticking on the day when you receive the denial letter from the SSA.
According to the SSA website, the agency gives claimants five days after a denial letter is sent before the filing deadline kicks in. If you do not file an appeal before the end of 60 days, then you can expect to start the claim process over if you want to receive financial assistance.
Get Help Filing a Disability Claim in Nevada
Too much is at stake for you to go it alone when filing a disability benefits claim with the SSA. A Social Security lawyer knows how to gather and organize the medical documents required for helping you to make a compelling case. Your lawyer should also be familiar with the SSA Blue Book, which is the medical guide used by a team of medical examiners to determine your eligibility for financial assistance.
Since the statistics are not in your favor when filing a Social Security disability claim in Nevada, you should make contacting an attorney the first item on your to-do list. Most Social Security lawyers schedule a free case evaluation with prospective clients to determine the best course of legal action.
