Many medical conditions are temporary. Someone with a bad case of influenza may require time away from work and care, but they may only miss a few days of work. Other medical conditions may last for years or the rest of someone’s life.
When a medical condition causes long-term symptoms that prevent someone from working, they may need financial support. Workers and independent contractors make contributions to the Social Security Administration (SSA) either with every paycheck or with estimated quarterly tax payments.
They may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits when a health condition prevents them from working for 12 months or longer. Quite a few people who apply for SSDI benefits don’t get approved initially. Some people appeal to get the SSDI benefits they need. How often does the appeals process lead to an approval for someone previously denied benefits?
Appeals are a major source of approved claims
According to the statistics released by the SSA, only about one in five applicants received immediate approval after they apply. When looking at data gathered between 2010 and 2019, an average of 79% of applicants don’t get benefits when they apply at first. Thankfully, they have the option of appealing.
Each year, thousands of applicants get benefits through an SSDI appeal when their initial application isn’t successful. The SSA reports that an average of 2% of all applicants end up approved during the reconsideration stage. That is an internal process at the SSA where a different worker looks at corrected documents and additional medical evidence to determine if the previous denial was inappropriate.
If reconsideration isn’t successful, the applicant can request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. Approximately 8% of applicants get benefits because of a hearing in front of the judge. The final approval rate for SSDI benefits is 31% on average. Roughly a third of those who qualify for benefits obtain their approval through the appeals process. They may also receive backdated benefits to help them cover the bills that accumulated during that appeal.
For many adults with disabling medical conditions, an SSDI appeal may be necessary to get the support that they require. Learning more about the appeals process can empower people to pursue the benefits they need while coping with significant medical limitations.