If your Social Security Disability (SSD) claim has been denied, you are not alone. There could be hundreds of thousands of other applicants in a similar situation. Many end up successfully appealing the decision to deny their claims.
Navigating the appeals process is never an easy journey, and the time taken for these appeals varies. You may be looking at several months or a couple of years before your appeal is processed.
The SSD appeals timeline is pretty long
If your initial application is denied, you have 60 days to make your first appeal, which is called a reconsideration. Generally speaking, this is very similar to the initial application process and can take roughly as long as it took for your initial determination.
If the decision to deny your claim is upheld, you have a further 60 days to request another appeal. This second appeal is to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. Average wait times for hearings have been increasing, and many applicants have to wait a year or more to get that hearing date.
Other factors, of course, can play into that timeline. If you develop a new condition or your condition changes, that can slow down your claim while new medical records are obtained.
It can be disheartening to get your claim denied, and you want to avoid that long wait for a hearing, whenever possible. That’s why it’s often advisable to seek help and learn more about how to make your application truly reflect the seriousness of your situation and increase your chances of approval early on.