Q: My Social Security Disability Application Was Denied And I Missed The Deadline For Appealcan I Try To Appeal Again
If your application for Social Security Disability benefits was denied, you are in good companyin fact, most peoples initial attempt at applying for Social Security Disability is a flop.
After your initial application is denied, you are given a 60-day window to file an appeal to the Social Security Administration, or SSA. While it is incredibly important that you adhere to all deadlines related to your application, life often gets in the wayespecially if you are coping with a challenging disability.
Should you miss the 60-day deadline for filing an appeal, you may still be able to file if you are able to prove to the Social Security Administration that you had a valid, substantial reason for missing the deadline. This is known as good cause, and the SSA lists several causes that would be honored and granted an extension.
Reapply For The Disability Tax Credit
Sometimes, a person is denied the Disability Tax Credit because he or she did not supply enough information on initial application forms. This is an oversight in the system. Unfortunately, it is up to the applicant to correct the problem. Reapply and be sure to fill out the T2201 Form properly. Provide thorough information and have your medical practitioner do the same.
An Example Of Challenging The Assessment
I dont believe all the findings from my medical assessment are accurate. The assessor asked me if I could lift a cup. I did as asked but it caused shooting pains up my arm that took several hours to subside and meant I struggled to hold anything else for the rest of the day. I wasnt given the opportunity to explain this in the assessment.
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You May Qualify For Legal Assistance
The last thing you want if youve recently become disabled is for this process to take two years or longer, so its a good idea to speak with an experienced Social Security disability advocate or attorney before you start the application process. Not only will they be able to help you prepare, but they also know what to do in the event that your application gets denied during the first round. The faster the SSA reviews and approves your claim, the faster youll receive the benefits you need.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free online benefits evaluation now!
An Alj May Follow The Earlier Denial
Although ALJs are supposed to look at claims de novo they don’t always do this. This means that if you reopen a prior claim, the ALJ may deny it simply because it was denied before. Again, the result of this is that you may lose valuable backpay.
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Filing For Social Security Disability Benefits In Michigan
There are multiple ways to file for Social Security disability in Michigan. You can file in person at a local Social Security Administration field office. Or you can telephone the SSA at 772-1213 or apply online at www.ssa.gov .
To apply for disability benefits in Michigan, youll need to have a significant amount of information on hand, including details about the condition that cause you to be unable to work, medical or psychiatric treatment youve obtained , and your past employment and earnings.
After you file your application, it will be sent to Disability Determination Services , a state-level agency under the Michigan Department of Health Services. A claims examiner at DDS will decide whether you are disabled.
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You Collect Benefits On An Approved Claim
If your claim is approved, you will receive a Notice of Approval letter that will include details about:
- Your disability onset date
- Date you became eligible for benefits
- Amount of back pay you will be awarded and when you will be paid
- Amount you will receive in monthly benefits and when you will be paid
- Date of your first continuing disability review
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How To Apply For Long Term Disability
You apply for long-term disability benefits by filling out forms. In other words, you are submitting an application or claim. Then, you simply send the completed forms to the insurance company. After that, they assign an insurance representative to review your claim.
There are three forms you must fill out, or arrange to be filled out:
- Notice of Claim You fill this out
- Employers Report Your employer fills this out
- Medical Report Your doctor fills this out
You can get these forms from your employer. If you are already dealing with the insurance company, then they may give them to you. But, its up to you to arrange for everyone to fill out the forms.
What to learn more about applying for long-term disability? Check out our 7-Step Guide on How to Apply for Long-term Disability
When Do The Award Payments Start
Even if it takes you a long time to successfully win your claim, your payments do not depend on the day the Court decided to make the award. When your application is finally approved, you will receive payments starting on the sixth full month after the date of your disability began. So if your disability started on June 15, 2019, your payments would start in December 2019. Another thing to remember is that you will receive your payments in the next month, so if your first payment was for December 2019, your first payment would be in January 2020.
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After Approval For Long
You still have to deal with the insurance company after they approve you for long-term disability. They will monitor your condition and treatment. They may ask you to see a doctor. Or, they might enroll you in a treatment program. But ultimately, its your responsibility to follow the rules of your plan.
So, to keep your benefits, you must carefully manage your relationship with the insurance company. You will need to do what they ask, even if you disagree with it. The following are common issues that happen after claim approval.
Prepare And Send Your Appeal Letter
I find that this last step causes people the most anxiety. You may feel like if you dont write a good appeal letter, it could result in your claim being denied again.
Let me set your mind at ease. In the vast majority of cases, the appeal letter has almost no bearing on the decision. At this stage, the insurance company makes its decision based on the medical records and doctors opinions.
So, your appeal letter only needs to do three things: request the appeal, attach the required documents, and arrive at the insurance company before the deadline.
Ideally, you would review the key facts and then apply the law to show why they should approve your claim. But, I recommend against trying this on your own. Writing this type of appeal letter is hard to doespecially if you dont have experience.
You are better off avoiding legal analysis and focusing on writing about any gaps in information. This could include:
- Clarifying any misunderstandings about your medical treatment or employment
- Reviewing all the things you did to try and stay at work
- Discussing how your symptoms affected your duties
Once you have sent in your appeal letter, you will usually get a response in 30 to 60 days. If there are delays, its likely because the insurance company is waiting on their doctors to review the medical information you sent in.
Learn the secrets for winning long-term disability benefits
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Will I Be Denied
Fewer than one out of three people applying for Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income will be approved for benefits when they apply. Sometimes this can be tied to how disabled you are or how much medical evidence you have to support your claim. Unfortunately, just as often, it depends on who actually looks at your claim, and what the other claims they looked at that day looked like.
The bottom line is, most people who are going to win their disability claims are going to have to appeal. Your odds of winning increase each time you take the time to file an appeal and follow Social Securitys specific procedures for doing so. Appealing to a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge is your best chance at winning your claim.
If you have been denied Social Security disability or SSI benefits, you should learn how to appeal. If you give up or file a new claim, chances are you will continue to be denied. While it is always a good idea to consult with a skilled social security lawyer before appealing, here are some of the basics of what you need to know.
The Ssa May Not Reopen The Prior Application
The SSA has the discretion to open or not to open a prior application. Again, if the prior case isn’t related, the time period doesn’t overlap, or too much time has passed, the SSA won’t reopen the case. This means that you won’t be able to get disability backpay for this time period even if you otherwise met the SSA’s definition of disabled.
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Identify The Deadline For Appeal
Nothing else matters if you miss the deadline to appeal your long-term disability denial.
Some appeal deadlines are soft, so missing them is no big deal. Others are hard. In other words, miss them and youre screwed. Its not easy to tell the difference. So, you should assume that you have hard deadlines.
But how do you know the deadline?
If you got a denial letter from the insurance company, then the deadline for appeal is usually included in the last few paragraphs of the letter. If the insurance company didnt send a denial letter, then you need to ask them to up tt the denial in writing.
The appeal deadline will either give you a specific date . Or, it will state a certain number of days from the date on the denial letter . If you are given a number of days, then you need to look at a calendar and count them out to find your deadline.
Here is an example of what the appeal deadline looks like:
In this example, the insurance company gives two deadlines. The first is 30 days to give written notice of intent to appeal. The second is a full 90 days to get all the documents for the appeal.
How To Write A Cpp Disability Appeal Letter
If your CPP Disability application has been denied, dont give up just yet, as you can appeal Service Canadas decision and go through the CPP Disability Reconsideration process.
The CPP Disability Reconsideration request is the first step in the 3-level CPP Disability appeal process. But in order to start the appeal you must first notify Service Canada in writing within 90 days from the day you received the CPP Disability denial letter that you would like them to reconsider their decision.
This initial reconsideration request letter is technical in nature and is only meant to inform them that you would like to appeal their CPP Disability decision and that you will be gathering and sending in new supporting information for their review.
If you would like to learn more about this initial letter you can read, review and download a sample of Request For Reconsideration.
Now that you notified Service Canada that you want to appeal their decision you must prepare your submission.
As part of your CPP Disability Appeal submission, the CPP Disability Appeal Letter is the document you need to write in your own writing explaining the reasons for your appeal, provide detailed information on your condition, how you are unable to work at all and ask for Service Canada reconsideration.
The following is a step by step guide and sample of a CPP Disability appeal letter to help you prepare your CPP Disability appeal submission:
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How Does The Appeal Process In Florida Work
The Florida appeals process is similar to other states. There are four steps in the entire appeals process:
- Request for Reconsideration
- Administrative Law Judge Hearing
- Appeals Council Review
- A U.S. Federal Court Hearing.
Most disability appeals go up to the administrative law judge hearing, so dont be intimidated by the prospect of your appeal being denied at the Reconsideration stage. About 67% of appeals in front of an ALJ are successful.
For current benefit recipients appealing an adjusted rate, filing an appeal within 10 days will allow those individuals to retain their previous benefit amount through the duration of the appeals process. As appeal waiting times can take months appealing within this window can have significant implications on income.
Will I Have To Pay Taxes On The Social Security Disability Benefits I Receive
Probably not, but this depends on the amount of your total income. Most people wont have to pay taxes on their Social Security disability benefits. Couples whose combined incomes exceed $32,000 and individuals with income exceeding $25,000 will pay income tax on a portion of their Social Security disability benefits. The IRS has an odd way of figuring out total income for this rule. The IRS uses adjusted gross income as reported on Form 1040, plus one-half of the total Social Security benefits received for the year, plus non-taxable interest.
Single people with incomes over $34,000 and married people with incomes over $44,000 pay tax on a higher percentage of their Social Security disability benefits.
Heres an odd thing: People whose Social Security benefits are reduced because of the workers compensation offset or offsets for other public disability benefits must count the amount of Social Security benefits not paid when determining taxability of their benefits. But if a child receives benefits on a parents account, those benefits count only for determining if the child must pay taxes on Social Security benefits received.
Tax law is very complex. Please talk to a tax specialist if you have any questions about taxes on your Social Security benefits.
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If You Filled In A Paper Appeal Form
Send your documents to HM Courts and Tribunals Service, not to the DWP. The address is on the form. You should include the following:
- the completed SSCS1 form
- a copy of your mandatory reconsideration notice
- any further evidence you have, although you can send this later if you need to
Post your appeal documents by recorded delivery if you can. Otherwise ask for proof of postage when posting the documents. This can help you later if the tribunal service says you didnt meet the deadline or if the letter gets lost in the post.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service will check your form and then ask the DWP to give a written response within another 28 days.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service will then send you:
- a copy of the DWPs response and any evidence theyve made their decision on
- information about what happens next
- details of when and where the hearing will be
Treatment And Rehabilitation Programs
Insurance companies can force you to attend treatment and rehabilitation programs. For example, they might send you for psychological treatment. Or, they can enroll you in physiotherapy programs. Not every policy has the right to do this, but most do. So, make sure to check yours. They cant force you to go, but they can stop payments if you dont.
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Why Should You File A Request For Reconsideration
If your claim has been denied, you will want to file a request for reconsideration. If you dont file a request, and you refile a claim, it will affect your backpay. If you file a request for reconsideration and it continues through the process, then you will receive backpay that dates to your initial claim.
You can also recover backpay for up to 12 months preceding the filing of your claim, minus the five months for the waiting period.
When you submit your request for reconsideration, you will want to provide more thorough documentation and supporting evidence for your claim. Most claims are once again denied during the request for reconsideration.
However, after this denial you will be able to file a request for a hearing before an administrative law judge. When you do that, your likelihood of having your claim approved will increase greatly. To have your claimed approved at the reconsideration level, or to get it approved later at a hearing, you must first understand why your claim was denied.
When you file a request for reconsideration, ask yourself a few questions about why your claim was denied. Think about if you meet the specified criteria for a listing in the Blue Book that applies to your specific condition.
You should also consider if you are still able to do the same kind of work. That means you arent considered disabled per the SSA guidelines. To have a successful claim, you must prove that you cannot work and earn a living.