Initial Responses
to Your Social Security Disability Application
Getting a response from your initial application can take 60 to 90 days.
If you receive a denial letter, you have 60 days to file an appeal. If you take your application to the first level of appeal – a reconsideration – it can take another 60 to 90 days to receive an answer.
A reconsideration puts your application through a review by a different group of SSA officials from those who initially denied you benefits. It’s also an opportunity for you to add new information to your application.
Time Frames
for Appealing a Social Security Disability Denial
If a reconsideration results in a denial, your next step is a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). This is where the wait can get quite long.
It can take 24 months, or more, to get a hearing date. But your chances of winning benefits at this stage also improve if you have professional representation.
And when you win benefits, it includes past-due amounts.
The most important thing to remember is that the team at Hanley Disability will look closely at your individual case.
We’ll discuss all aspects of your application with you, including how much time it might take. We’ll explain the system, how it works and how it applies to you.
