YOUR DISABILITY APPLICATION WAS APPROVED. WILL YOU GET PAID?

You apply for Social Security disability.  Your application goes to a state agency called the Disability Determination Service, or DDS for short.

If you are lucky enough to have your application approved, you may still not get benefits.  Here's why.

Those few applications that get approved will likely be help up and sent for a "quality review." A different examiner, in a different office, will  rake over your approved claim to be sure it wasn't approved by mistake!

That's right!  Social Security gets a second chance to deny your benefits--even after a disability examiner has approved the claim.

You won't know when your claim is "under quality review," because nobody will tell you.  You will just continue to wait and wait.

I am told that approximately 80 percent of favorable claims get "quality reviewed," while only about 20 percent of unfavorable claims (denials) get sent for quality reviews.

This sounds like DDS is perfectly happy to let a claimant get denied when he should be approved--but shudders at the idea of someone getting approved when he could have been denied.

Social Security's objective clearly seems to be:  If there's a way to deny a claim, we will find it.  If an application slips through the initial stage without being denied, we will re-examine it again to see if we can still deny it.  

Welcome to the Social Security mentality. 

Naturally, there are also other problems.  People do file claims who are obviously not disabled.  This usually is not an attempt at fraud, just a difference of opinion.  A person is entitled to believe that he is disabled and to file a claim.  Social Security is entitled to disagree and deny a claim.  

Many of the denials made by Social Security, however, are in error.  In 2016, at least 42 percent (almost one-half) of all denials were approved when reviewed or appealed at a higher level.  Most of these claimants were eventually given back pay to cover the months they should have been paid, but weren't.

When you get a denial letter from Social Security, never assume that it is the correct or final decision.

3 words describe what you should do if Social Security denies your claim:  

1.  Appeal   2.  Appeal   3.  Appeal

An advocate is a person knowledgeable and experienced with Social Security regulations, rules and procedures.  The advocate represents you before the Social Security Administration and fights for your legal rights, including payments and back payments.  An advocate will never charge you a fee until your claim has been approved and your back pay has been awarded.

For a free case consultation or answers to questions about a Social Security disability claim, please call the Forsythe Firm:

PHONE (256) 431-1599    PHONE (256) 799-0297

Contact Our Website - Tell Us About Your Disability 

THE FORSYTHE FIRM
Social Security Disability Advocates
"We Work for You!"
PHONE (256) 799-0297 or (256) 431-1599

We never charge a fee unless you win and receive back pay.

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