People in West Michigan and the greater Grand Rapids area may develop debilitating medical conditions because of work, genetics or an unexpected accident. Whether you suffered a severe injury in a car crash or develop a very aggressive form of cancer, you may no longer be able to work to support yourself.
It can be challenging and humbling to lose your income because of medical issues. Thankfully, you can apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits if you have a diagnosed medical condition that impacts either your ability to work or to live without outside support.
Many people who apply for SSDI get rejected at first and need to appeal. How long does an appeal take?
There are multiple possible appeal stages
When the Social Security Administration (SSA) rejects your application, you can appeal that decision. The first stage of appeal is reconsideration, and that can occur relatively quickly. It is an internal process at the SSA that reviews your existing paperwork and any supplemental evidence you provide.
If reconsideration doesn’t give you benefits, you can request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. Those applying for SSDI benefits in West Michigan can expect an 8.5-month wait for a hearing during an SSDI appeal. If your hearing is not successful, then you may need to prepare for further appeals, which may take many months to complete.
The good news is that when you receive the approval of your claim, you can potentially get benefits going back to when you first qualified. Learning more about the process of appealing an unfavorable decision can help those who need SSDI benefits.