The specific reasons that people don’t get Social Security Disability payments naturally vary from case to case. However, in a more general sense, there are trends to these denials, which can help you see why the denials are made and what you can do about it.
For example, some experts have said that the main reasons people wind up without the financial support they seek are that:
- They don’t have enough medical documentation to show that their claims are true.
- When denied, they do not use the appeals process.
There are a handful of different factors that feed into this. To start with, you should know that around 70 percent of all initial applications for Social Security Disability payments are denied. That’s a stunningly high percentage, and it shows just how important it is to understand the appeals process. If no one used it, the vast majority of claims would not result in payment.
As far as documentation is concerned, people sometimes believe they have enough when they really need more.
For instance, they may feel disabled and they may have been out of the workforce for some time. Moreover, they may have gone to the doctor after the initial incident, and they have that paperwork. However, they do not regularly get treatment. They don’t have a string of current medical records to show their condition and back up their claims. It can then be very hard for the SSA to determine if they are eligible, and that can lead to denial.
If you have been denied, be sure you know all of the legal options that you have and how to strengthen your application.
Source: SSDRC, “Social Security Disability Denied — The Reasons Why,” Tim Moore, accessed Oct. 27, 2017