The Appeals Process

Beaver County Social Security Disability lawyer

After your claim is denied by the Social Security Administration, you will receive a determination letter advising you that your claim was denied.  You have 60 days after the date of the letter to file your appeal.  Your disability appeal can be filed on-line, and I recommend doing so.  Filing your disability appeal on-line simplifies the process for you, your attorney, and for the Social Security Administration because everything is typed rather than hand written and your appeal is delivered directly into your file at Social Security.

After  your appeal is filed your case may be reviewed on an interim basis by an administrative law judge to determine whether or not your case can be approved without a hearing.  Approval without a hearing is rare and you should not expect to win your disability appeal without a hearing.  Your hearing will be scheduled at a Social Security Disability Hearing office, possibly in Seven Fields near Cranberry or in Pittsburgh.  There is a significant backlog of clams for Social Security disability.  It is not uncommon for a disabled person to wait 14 to 16 months for their hearing to be scheduled.

At the hearing, often held in the Social Security Seven Fields office, your medical records will be reviewed and you will have an opportunity to testify about how your disabilities affect  your ability to work.  The basic rule is that you have to prove not only that you cannot work at your previous job, but that you cannot work any job that theoretically may be available to you.  This is an extremely high threshold to reach to prove your disability claim and win your case.  Strong medical support for your claim is therefore critical to the success of your disability appeal.   The younger you are, the more difficult it seems to be to get Social Security Disability.

The cooperation of your doctors is therefore extremely important to your disability claim.  Records and reports from your doctors will make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful disability appeal.

The Social Security Administration has significantly upgraded it’s computer process, allowing attorneys to directly submit your medical records into your Social Security appeal file. The process has greatly improved our ability to handle your case.

Contact social security disability attorney Thomas Matvey today at 724-709-7958 to discuss your Social Security Disability claim.